Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsPrivate nonprofit

Northwest University

Kirkland, Washington·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Far West·northwestu.edu
6-yr Graduation
71%
+2.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Total enrollment
1,053
peer median 1,165
Avg net price
$25,161
-$723 vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
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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
625
625 candidates competed
Admitted
520
83.2% acceptance rate
Enrolled
160
30.8% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
71%+2.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
4-year graduation
64%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
68%
Full-time retention
84%

Pell equity

12.0pp gap
Pell recipients
65%
Non-Pell
77%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 12.0-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 69 Title IV programs, 12 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 2 fail. 55 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
69
Passing
12
17.4% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
2
2.9% of portfolio
Fail rate
2.9%
+2.3pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

69programs
  • Passing12 · 17.4%
  • No Data55 · 79.7%
  • Failing2 · 2.9%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
1
Recoverable
1
At Risk
1
Watch
2
Safe
9
No data
55

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.

14
International/Globalization Studies
Master's Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
-6.9%
$49,915 vs $53,607
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-5.0%
$37,112 vs $39,073
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
+4.5%
$50,851 vs $48,653
Theological and Ministerial Studies
Associate Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
+15.6%
$45,166 vs $39,073
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+21.6%
$47,496 vs $39,073
Theological and Ministerial Studies
Bachelor Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
+34.1%
$52,385 vs $39,073
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+39.1%
$54,357 vs $39,073
Public Relations Advertising and Applied Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+43.7%
$56,136 vs $39,073

Near the line (±5%)

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

2
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-5.0%
$1,961
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
+4.5%
+$2,198

Debt vs earnings

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

13
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
81%
$41,000 debt · $50,851 earn
International/Globalization Studies
Master's Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
69%
$34,167 debt · $49,915 earn
Theological and Ministerial Studies
Bachelor Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
47%
$24,616 debt · $52,385 earn
Theological and Ministerial Studies
Associate Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
42%
$19,000 debt · $45,166 earn
Public Relations Advertising and Applied Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
40%
$22,497 debt · $56,136 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
39%
$22,858 debt · $58,134 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
37%
$20,353 debt · $54,357 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
35%
$37,707 debt · $107,751 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Accredited since 1973Next review Apr 2027

Programmatic accreditations · 3

Action history · 3

  1. Apr 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Counseling Psychology (COPSYD) - PsyD Doctoral programs
  2. Jun 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  3. Oct 2016Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels

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$14,935
$30–48k$15,418
$48–75k$19,757
$75–110k$25,518
$110k+$31,535

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

Avg net price (private)
$25,161
-$723vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs median $25,884
Federal loans
73.3%
In-state tuition
$36,035
Out-of-state
$36,035

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 526 students received $2.6M in Pell grants, alongside $13.0M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
526
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.6M
$2,629,083 total
Direct Loans
$13.0M
1,433 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
0k
22
0k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$2.0M
507 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$2.3M
556 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$5.6M
260 loan awards
Parent PLUS$750K
46 loan awards
Grad PLUS$2.4M
64 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 615 borrowers who entered repayment, 7 (1.1%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.1%
-1.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
615
Defaulted
7
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
7.4%
2017
4.1%
2018
5.3%
2019
1.1%
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

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs38
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

277 total completions
01Health Professions
6021.7%
02Business
4917.7%
03Education
4014.4%
04Psychology
3914.1%
05Theology
259.0%
06Multi/Interdisciplinary
217.6%
07Biological Sciences
196.9%
08Communication
93.2%
09English Language
82.9%
10Liberal Arts
72.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
1,053
12-mo unduplicated
1,072
Undergraduate
719
Graduate
353

Gender split

Men
37%401
Women
63%671

Race / ethnicity composition

White
61.7%
Hispanic
13.2%
Two or more
8.1%
Black
6.4%
Asian
4.7%
Non-resident
3.7%
Unknown
2.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
159
73 M · 86 W
Women athletes
54.1%
Athletic aid
$1.3M
Total student aid
Budget
$2.7M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$534K
$789K
Recruiting expense
$376
$4K
Head-coach salaries
$15K
$12K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 6

Soccer
32 M · 25 W
$706K
Basketball
19 M · 23 W
$657K
Track and Field (Indoor)
15 M · 12 W
$138K
Volleyball
· 22 W
$278K
Cross Country
13 M · 8 W
$139K
Beach Volleyball
· 12 W
$149K

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
1.97
2 offenses · 1,014 students

3-year trend

0.842 yrs ago0.001 yr ago1.97Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
3
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
4

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
2

By location

2total
  • On campus2

VAWA offenses

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

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs00
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

  • Duplex - Building 6C - Unit 11 fire
    ElectricalDamage $1,000-$9,999

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
9.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
45

Northwest vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Northwest 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 University
71%1,053$25,161Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Antioch University-Seattle
771Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Whitworth University
71%89.8%2,314$25,884Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Pacific Lutheran University
69%78.0%2,797$21,370Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Hope International University
49%33.0%1,025$27,653Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
California Institute of the Arts
67%32.3%1,277$47,183Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Peer group median69%55.5%1,165$25,884

Frequently asked questions about Northwest University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Northwest.

What is the graduation rate at Northwest University?

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

How many students attend Northwest University?

Northwest University reports a total enrollment of 1,053 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Northwest University?

The average net price at Northwest University is $25,161 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Northwest University?

Northwest University's yield rate is 30.8%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Northwest University located?

Northwest University is located in Kirkland, Washington 98083-0579.

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