Northwestern College vs Buena Vista University

Northwestern College and Buena Vista University, both esteemed institutions in Iowa, offer distinct educational experiences. Northwestern College, a private Christian college, boasts a 99% acceptance rate, while Buena Vista University, a private liberal arts college, has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 85%. Northwestern College's student body is predominantly White (89%) and female (59%), while Buena Vista University's student body is more diverse, with a larger male population (53%) and a higher percentage of international students (10%). Both colleges offer a range of popular majors, including Business, Education, and Health Professions, but Northwestern College also offers unique programs such as Aviation and Biblical Studies. With graduation rates of 65% and 58% respectively, both institutions provide ample opportunities for students to succeed and achieve their academic goals. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions and determine which college aligns best with your aspirations and preferences.

	Buena Vista University	Northwestern College
Overview
Location	Storm Lake, Iowa	Orange City, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	73.0%	83.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.0%	83.0%
Application fees
SAT range	963 - 1140	940 - 1240
ACT range	18 - 25	20 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	57.0%	82.0%
Total number of applicants	1,749	1,172
Total number of admissions given out	1,154	973
Admitted students who chose to enroll	237	268
Yield rate	20.5%	27.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$53,162	$47,650
Average net price	$18,532	$24,848
Tuition	$37,518	$33,350
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,114 Meal plan: $5,256	$10,000
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $31,137	100.0% Average amount $21,873
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $5,750	69.0% Average amount $5,257
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $5,551	21.0% Average amount $10,813

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,506 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	1,053 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
Graduate students	453 Men 16.3% Women 83.7%	460 Men 24.3% Women 75.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	39.4%	N/A
International students	0.5%	2.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	836	995
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Iowa Texas Nebraska Minnesota Arizona	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Computer and Information Science	Education Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.8%	70.8%
Dropout rate	36.8%	6.5%
Transferred out	N/A	22.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,501 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $61,003 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,278 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $52,709 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,249 Year 2: $45,455 Year 3: $48,387 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,936 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: $46,768 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,901 Year 2: $47,494 Year 3: $46,501 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,530 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $45,327 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,042 Year 2: $40,089 Year 3: $45,181 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,301 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $44,742 Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,198 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $43,790 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,262 Year 2: $37,819 Year 3: $37,074	Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,719 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,017 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,993 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,925 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,080 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,227 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,185 Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: N/A

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