SPU Seattle vs Northwest Nazarene University (NNU)

Seattle Pacific University and Northwest Nazarene University, both located in the Pacific Northwest, offer distinct educational experiences for prospective students. Seattle Pacific University, a private Christian university in Seattle, Washington, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Northwest Nazarene University (68%), a private Christian university in Nampa, Idaho. While both universities offer a range of undergraduate and graduate programs, Seattle Pacific University is known for its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, while Northwest Nazarene University excels in nursing, education, and business. Seattle Pacific University's student body is more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students and a more even gender distribution compared to Northwest Nazarene University. In terms of graduation rates, Seattle Pacific University has a slightly higher four-year graduation rate (68%) compared to Northwest Nazarene University (65%). Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Northwest Nazarene University	Seattle Pacific University
Overview
Location	Nampa, Idaho	Seattle, Washington
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	74.0%	82.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.1%	91.9%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	970 - 1230	1050 - 1300
ACT range	20 - 26	20 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	54.0%	21.0%
Students submitting ACT score	31.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	2,843	4,359
Total number of admissions given out	2,506	4,008
Admitted students who chose to enroll	275	580
Yield rate	11.0%	14.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$48,730	$53,766
Average net price	$23,045	$26,153
Tuition	$33,740	$35,100
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,600 Meal plan: $5,620	Room/dormitory: $7,350 Meal plan: $6,054
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $21,525	99.0% Average amount $37,230
Students receiving federal student loan	61.0% Average amount $5,144	55.0% Average amount $5,468
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $11,288	5.0% Average amount $14,470

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,323 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%	2,640 Men 32.8% Women 67.2%
Graduate students	721 Men 28.4% Women 71.6%	803 Men 26.0% Women 74.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	43.0%	26.8%
International students	0.8%	5.5%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	821	1,779
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Idaho Washington Oregon California Alaska	Washington California Hawaii Oregon Colorado

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Education Psychology Health Professions Business Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.6%	65.9%
Dropout rate	36.7%	21.2%
Transferred out	0.4%	12.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,274 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $71,655 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,228 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $65,637 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,965 Year 2: $39,153 Year 3: $55,303 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,552 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $44,225 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,583 Year 2: $40,768 Year 3: $40,489 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,460 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $37,728 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,990 Year 2: $44,384 Year 3: N/A Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,441 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,713 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,268 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $107,437 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $97,823 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $67,680 Year 2: $66,077 Year 3: $92,654 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $74,811 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $84,509 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,224 Year 2: $71,463 Year 3: $76,324 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $75,938 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,417 Year 2: $56,802 Year 3: $66,654 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,558 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $65,753 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,574 Year 2: $49,875 Year 3: $65,360 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,899 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,623 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,789 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $61,011

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