Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPrivate nonprofit

Northwest Nazarene University

Nampa, Idaho·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Rocky Mountains·nnu.edu
6-yr Graduation
71%
+9.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
1,635
peer median 8,859
Avg net price
$25,537
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
3,247
3,247 candidates competed
Admitted
2,102
64.7% acceptance rate
Enrolled
209
9.9% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
71%+9.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
59%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
71%
Full-time retention
77%

Pell equity

4.0pp gap
Pell recipients
64%
Non-Pell
68%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 4.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 80 Title IV programs, 16 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 63 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
80
Passing
16
20.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
1.3% of portfolio
Fail rate
1.3%
+0.7pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

80programs
  • Passing16 · 20.0%
  • No Data63 · 78.8%
  • Failing1 · 1.2%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
1
At Risk
1
Watch
1
Safe
14
No data
63

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

17
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
-4.4%
$33,265 vs $34,808
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+2.6%
$51,290 vs $49,999
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+19.9%
$41,719 vs $34,808
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+28.7%
$44,782 vs $34,808
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+30.8%
$45,537 vs $34,808
Curriculum and Instruction
Master's Degree · Education
+31.2%
$56,334 vs $42,937
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+38.8%
$48,307 vs $34,808
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+41.2%
$49,132 vs $34,808

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

2
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
-4.4%
$1,543
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+2.6%
+$1,291

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

13
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
107%
$54,667 debt · $51,290 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
75%
$25,000 debt · $33,265 earn
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
65%
$46,148 debt · $70,614 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
58%
$26,250 debt · $45,537 earn
Curriculum and Instruction
Master's Degree · Education
49%
$27,334 debt · $56,334 earn
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
48%
$21,250 debt · $44,782 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
47%
$22,696 debt · $48,307 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
37%
$35,304 debt · $95,317 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Accredited since 1930Next review Oct 2030

Programmatic accreditations · 5

Action history · 4

  1. Jun 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools · Theology (THEOL) - Freestanding schools, as well as programs affiliated with larger institutions, offering graduate professional education for ministry and graduate study of theology
  2. Mar 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  3. Oct 2016Renewal of Accreditation
    Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  4. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$22,918
$30–48k$21,975
$48–75k$24,101
$75–110k$26,385
$110k+$28,028

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$25,537
vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $25,498
Federal loans
59.9%
In-state tuition
$39,370
Out-of-state
$39,370

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 401 students received $2.3M in Pell grants, alongside $11.9M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
401
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.3M
$2,255,206 total
Direct Loans
$11.9M
1,494 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$2.0M
466 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$2.1M
545 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$5.9M
383 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.4M
68 loan awards
Grad PLUS$437K
32 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 630 borrowers who entered repayment, 3 (0.4%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.4%
-1.9pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
630
Defaulted
3
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
2.6%
2017
5.6%
2018
2.1%
2019
0.4%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Northwest Nazarene

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs85
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

427 total completions
01Health Professions
11426.7%
02Education
7818.3%
03Business
7216.9%
04Public Admin
5713.3%
05Biological Sciences
307.0%
06Visual/Performing Arts
225.2%
07Theology
204.7%
08Engineering
122.8%
09Liberal Arts
112.6%
10Computer Sciences
112.6%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
1,635
12-mo unduplicated
10,237
Undergraduate
9,466
Graduate
771

Gender split

Men
43%4,383
Women
57%5,854

Race / ethnicity composition

White
66.8%
Hispanic
14.7%
Two or more
6.9%
Unknown
6.7%
Black
1.7%
Asian
1.4%
Non-resident
1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
281
146 M · 135 W
Women athletes
48.0%
Athletic aid
$3.2M
Total student aid
Budget
$7.0M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.5M
$1.6M
Recruiting expense
$88K
$45K
Head-coach salaries
$48K
$44K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 7

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
105 M · 98 W
$1.2M
Soccer
25 M · 25 W
$1.2M
Baseball
43 M ·
$849K
Basketball
17 M · 14 W
$1.5M
Golf
15 M · 14 W
$347K
Softball
· 23 W
$533K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.12
2 offenses · 1,778 students

3-year trend

0.472 yrs ago0.491 yr ago1.12Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
4
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
4
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
2

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
1
Fondling
1

By location

2total
  • On campus2

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
1
Stalking
1 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons10
Drugs00
Liquor05

Residence-hall fires

  • Culver Hall1 fire
    Damage $0-$99

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
14.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
95

Northwest Nazarene vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Northwest Nazarene selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectNorthwest Nazarene University
71%1,635$25,537Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Colorado Christian University
63%94.3%9,951$25,458Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Western Governors University
46%210,208$10,442Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Eastern University
60%90.8%8,727$25,885Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Webster University
64%86.2%8,260$26,196Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Mercy University
45%85.8%8,991$15,770Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median62%88.5%8,859$25,498

Frequently asked questions about Northwest Nazarene University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Northwest Nazarene.

What is the graduation rate at Northwest Nazarene University?

Northwest Nazarene University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 71% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Northwest Nazarene University?

Northwest Nazarene University reports a total enrollment of 1,635 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Northwest Nazarene University?

The average net price at Northwest Nazarene University is $25,537 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Northwest Nazarene University?

Northwest Nazarene University's yield rate is 9.9%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Northwest Nazarene University located?

Northwest Nazarene University is located in Nampa, Idaho 83686-5897.

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