BaccalaureatePublic

Northwestern Michigan College

Traverse City, Michigan·Public, 4-year or above·Great Lakes·nmc.edu
6-yr Graduation
25%
-4.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
3,253
peer median 3,095
Avg net price
$5,243
-$1.3k vs Baccalaureate
Use this data
Ask Clema

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
25%-4.0pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
35%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
53%
Full-time retention
84%

Pell equity

2.0pp gap
Pell recipients
21%
Non-Pell
23%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 2.0-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 72 Title IV programs, 8 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 64 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
72
Passing
8
11.1% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

72programs
  • Passing8 · 11.1%
  • No Data64 · 88.9%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
7
No data
64

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.

8
Culinary Arts and Related Services
Associate Degree · Personal And Culinary Services
+21.7%
$40,148 vs $32,989
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+35.1%
$44,557 vs $32,989
Business Administration Management and Operations
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+45.5%
$48,006 vs $32,989
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Associate Degree · Security And Protective Services
+84.9%
$61,003 vs $32,989
Engineering Technologies/Technicians General
Associate Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
+89.5%
$62,520 vs $32,989
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+109.2%
$69,022 vs $32,989
Air Transportation
Associate Degree · Transportation And Materials Moving
+231.9%
$109,489 vs $32,989
Marine Transportation
Bachelor Degree · Transportation And Materials Moving
+314.5%
$136,748 vs $32,989

Debt vs earnings

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

8
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
28%
$19,000 debt · $69,022 earn
Culinary Arts and Related Services
Associate Degree · Personal And Culinary Services
27%
$11,000 debt · $40,148 earn
Practical Nursing Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants
Undergraduate Certificate · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
22%
$15,000 debt · $67,730 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
21%
$9,500 debt · $44,557 earn
Engineering Technologies/Technicians General
Associate Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
21%
$13,291 debt · $62,520 earn
Marine Transportation
Bachelor Degree · Transportation And Materials Moving
16%
$22,187 debt · $136,748 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Undergraduate Certificate · Security And Protective Services
14%
$8,875 debt · $61,774 earn
Air Transportation
Associate Degree · Transportation And Materials Moving
11%
$12,000 debt · $109,489 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1961Next review Aug 2029

Programmatic accreditations · 3

Action history · 8

  1. Aug 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Assisting (DA)
  2. Aug 2024Grant Substantive Change: Program
    American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Assisting (DA)
  3. Aug 2021Grant Substantive Change: Program
    American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Assisting (DA)
  4. Apr 2021Grant Substantive Change: Program
    American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Assisting (DA)
  5. Jul 2020Grant Substantive Change: Program
    American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Assisting (DA)

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$4,569
$30–48k$3,620
$48–75k$6,964
$75–110k$9,422
$110k+$11,821

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

Avg net price
$5,243
-$1,271vs Baccalaureate median $6,515
Federal loans
23.9%
In-state tuition
$5,350
Out-of-state
$12,762

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 1,367 students received $5.6M in Pell grants, alongside $5.0M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,367
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$5.6M
$5,591,294 total
Direct Loans
$5.0M
1,243 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

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

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.9M
603 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$2.4M
597 loan awards
Parent PLUS$702K
43 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 769 borrowers who entered repayment, 22 (2.8%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
2.8%
+0.5pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
769
Defaulted
22
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
16.1%
2017
13.2%
2018
10.6%
2019
2.8%
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 Northwestern Michigan College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs51
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

457 total completions
01Liberal Arts
22248.6%
02Health Professions
7716.8%
03Transportation
7316.0%
04Business
235.0%
05Engineering Tech
163.5%
06Computer Sciences
122.6%
07Personal/Culinary
102.2%
08Family/Consumer Sci
102.2%
09Engineering
81.8%
10Comm. Technologies
61.3%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
3,253
12-mo unduplicated
3,722
Undergraduate
3,722
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
46%1,695
Women
54%2,027

Race / ethnicity composition

White
78.5%
Unknown
8.3%
Hispanic
5.1%
Two or more
3.8%
Asian
1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.4%
Black
1.4%
Non-resident
0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.0%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
27
24 M · 3 W
Women athletes
11.1%
Athletic aid
$18K
Total student aid
Budget
$49K
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
Recruiting expense
Head-coach salaries
Men Women

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
0.32
1 offenses · 3,098 students

3-year trend

0.312 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.32Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
2
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
5
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Aggravated assault
1

By location

1total
  • Public property1

VAWA offenses

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

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs10
Liquor10

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
13.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
76

Northwestern Michigan College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Northwestern Michigan College 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
SubjectNorthwestern Michigan College
25%3,253$5,243Baccalaureate
Lake Michigan College
2,937$11,209Baccalaureate
Alpena Community College
100%1,581$4,067Baccalaureate
Jackson College
33%5,086$7,657Baccalaureate
Schoolcraft Community College District
8,587$5,372Baccalaureate
Kent State University at Geauga
1%2,204$10,964Baccalaureate
Peer group median29%3,095$6,515

Frequently asked questions about Northwestern Michigan College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Northwestern Michigan College.

What is the graduation rate at Northwestern Michigan College?

Northwestern Michigan College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 25% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Northwestern Michigan College?

Northwestern Michigan College reports a total enrollment of 3,253 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Northwestern Michigan College?

The average net price at Northwestern Michigan College is $5,243 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

Where is Northwestern Michigan College located?

Northwestern Michigan College is located in Traverse City, Michigan 49686.

Have a question this page can’t answer?

Ask Clema anything about Northwestern Michigan College and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card