Northwestern College

Orange City, IA 1,175 Undergrads 66.9% Grad Rate

School Website|Financial Calculator

Total Cost

$49,783

Sticker Price

Avg Net Price

$25,907

After Aid

Median Earnings

$55,312

4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$25,907

Peer Midpoint: $20,080.5

Earnings (10yr)$55,312

Peer Midpoint: $60,428

Graduation Rate66.9%

Peer Midpoint: 58.9%

Socio-Economic Diversity

Pell Grant Recipients24.6%

Enrollment Status

Full-Time90.0%

Economic Outcomes

Earn More than HS81.3%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance

80.4%

SAT Avg

SAT Reading

25th: -54575th: -

SAT Math

25th: -54575th: -

ACT Composite

25th: -2475th: -

ROI Sensitivity Analysis

This analysis tests three cost scenarios (Scholarship, Average Net Price, Full Sticker Price) to show how college costs impact your long-term return compared to the average student and a high school graduate.

Lifetime Value Added (NPV)

Institution Lifetime NPV

Vs Median Peer

Vs HS Grad

Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0

+$491k

+$31k

+$13k

Median Cost$26k/yr

+$398k

-$62k

-$80k

Full Cost$50k/yr

+$312k

-$148k

-$166k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age

Return on Inv. %

Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0

∞

Median Cost$26k/yr

Never

-86%

Full Cost$50k/yr

Never

-92%

Analysis Assumptions:

Starting Salary: Estimated from the 10-year median earnings (assuming 2% annual growth from graduation).
Comparisons: "Vs Median Peer" compares to the median student nationwide in a similar level program. "Vs HS Grad" compares to a median high school graduate.
Break-Even: The age at which the college investment net income exceeds the median high school graduate's lifetime earnings.
NPV: Net Present Value of all future earnings minus costs and taxes, discounted at 7.8%.

Social Impact ROINew

Measures the societal return on a donor's investment. Calculated as the incremental pre-tax lifetime earnings vs. HS grad, divided by the tax-adjusted donation cost.

Donor Return-78%

Gov. Pell Grant ROINew

Measures the government's return on Pell Grants via increased tax revenue. Calculated as the portion of incremental lifetime taxes (discounted at 5.4%) attributed to the Pell Grant investment.

Taxpayer Return-83%

Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator with your specific estimates of cost and salary.

Program ROI Analysis

Bachelor's Degrees

Accounting and Related Services

BachCIP: 5203

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

$59,192

Nat: $76,194

Lifetime Value Added

-$57k

Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions

BachCIP: 5109

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $70,786

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Biology, General

BachCIP: 2601

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $57,214

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Business Administration, Management and Operations

BachCIP: 5202

Median Debt

$23,250

Earnings (4yr)

$68,565

Nat: $68,257

Lifetime Value Added

+$17k

Chemistry

BachCIP: 4005

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $65,120

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Computer Science

BachCIP: 1107

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $107,009

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Criminal Justice and Corrections

BachCIP: 4301

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $55,378

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft

BachCIP: 5005

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $39,775

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology

BachCIP: 2613

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $48,842

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

English Language and Literature, General

BachCIP: 2301

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $48,590

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Fine and Studio Arts

BachCIP: 5007

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $41,367

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Genetics

BachCIP: 2608

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $66,076

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

History

BachCIP: 5401

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $50,680

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Journalism

BachCIP: 0904

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $56,278

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities

BachCIP: 2401

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $53,072

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services

BachCIP: 1601

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $49,984

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods

BachCIP: 5213

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $86,176

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Mathematics

BachCIP: 2701

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $69,562

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Music

BachCIP: 5009

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $42,892

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Psychology, General

BachCIP: 4201

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $50,706

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication

BachCIP: 0909

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $63,560

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing

BachCIP: 5138

Median Debt

$19,209

Earnings (4yr)

$71,322

Nat: $88,910

Lifetime Value Added

+$38k

Religion/Religious Studies

BachCIP: 3802

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $41,390

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Religious Education

BachCIP: 3904

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $43,633

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies

BachCIP: 2313

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $48,471

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics

BachCIP: 1609

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $55,000

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Social Work

BachCIP: 4407

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $51,790

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Sociology

BachCIP: 4511

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $52,657

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Special Education and Teaching

BachCIP: 1310

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $50,499

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness

BachCIP: 3105

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

$51,829

Nat: $54,562

Lifetime Value Added

-$117k

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods

BachCIP: 1312

Median Debt

$21,875

Earnings (4yr)

$47,640

Nat: $47,382

Lifetime Value Added

-$152k

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas

BachCIP: 1313

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $51,389

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Master's Degrees

Educational Administration and Supervision

MastCIP: 1304

Median Debt

$7,536

Earnings (4yr)

$60,765

Nat: $71,685

Lifetime Value Added

+$53k

Special Education and Teaching

MastCIP: 1310

Median Debt

Earnings

Nat: $64,397

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods

MastCIP: 1312

Median Debt

$6,861

Earnings (4yr)

$57,076

Nat: $59,916

Lifetime Value Added

+$19k

Note: Lifetime Value Added is the Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate, accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes. Computed over a career to retirement age.

For graduate programs (Master's, Doctoral, etc.), the calculation assumes a starting age of 22 (after undergraduate completion) and does not include the sunk costs of prior degrees. It represents the value added of the graduate degree decision moving forward. These Lifetime Value Added results should not be compared with those Undergraduate Certificates, Associates or Bachelors starting at age 18.