Private nonprofit

Northwood University

Midland, Michigan·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Great Lakes·northwood.edu
6-yr Graduation
63%
-2.0pp vs peer
Total enrollment
2,409
peer median 1,506
Avg net price
$26,429
-$6.2k vs peer
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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
1,851
1,851 candidates competed
Admitted
1,194
64.5% acceptance rate
Enrolled
341
28.6% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
63%-2.0pp vs peer
4-year graduation
50%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
63%
Full-time retention
79%

Pell equity

24.0pp gap
Pell recipients
53%
Non-Pell
77%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 24.0-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 31 Title IV programs, 12 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 19 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
31
Passing
12
38.7% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

31programs
  • Passing12 · 38.7%
  • No Data19 · 61.3%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
12
No data
19

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.

12
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+53.7%
$50,699 vs $32,989
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+59.1%
$92,321 vs $58,014
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+66.8%
$55,020 vs $32,989
International Business
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+90.1%
$62,720 vs $32,989
Marketing
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+90.5%
$62,860 vs $32,989
Computer and Information Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
+93.4%
$63,804 vs $32,989
Accounting and Related Services
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+95.2%
$64,405 vs $32,989
Finance and Financial Management Services
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+104.5%
$67,477 vs $32,989

Debt vs earnings

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

8
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
44%
$41,000 debt · $92,321 earn
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
44%
$22,425 debt · $50,699 earn
International Business
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
42%
$26,250 debt · $62,720 earn
Marketing
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
33%
$20,500 debt · $62,860 earn
Finance and Financial Management Services
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
32%
$21,375 debt · $67,477 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
31%
$21,424 debt · $68,679 earn
Specialized Sales Merchandising and Marketing Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
30%
$23,250 debt · $77,647 earn
Accounting and Related Services
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
27%
$17,250 debt · $64,405 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1974Next review Aug 2028

Action history · 1

  1. Mar 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission

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$23,137
$30–48k$21,931
$48–75k$25,179
$75–110k$25,556
$110k+$29,125

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

Avg net price (private)
$26,429
-$6,223vs peer median $32,653
Federal loans
66.3%
In-state tuition
$33,000
Out-of-state
$33,000

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 749 students received $3.9M in Pell grants, alongside $14.4M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
749
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$3.9M
$3,912,875 total
Direct Loans
$14.4M
1,929 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$3.1M
704 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$4.8M
902 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$3.8M
168 loan awards
Parent PLUS$2.3M
128 loan awards
Grad PLUS$444K
27 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 1,064 borrowers who entered repayment, 23 (2.1%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
2.1%
-0.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,064
Defaulted
23
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
6.9%
2017
6.3%
2018
4.3%
2019
2.1%
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 Northwood

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs31
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

815 total completions
01Business
72388.7%
02Computer Sciences
425.2%
03Parks/Recreation
263.2%
04Health Professions
172.1%
05Communication
70.9%
06Security/Protective
00.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
2,409
12-mo unduplicated
3,089
Undergraduate
2,515
Graduate
574

Gender split

Men
61%1,880
Women
39%1,209

Race / ethnicity composition

White
70.0%
Black
8.4%
Unknown
7.6%
Hispanic
7.0%
Two or more
3.0%
Non-resident
2.0%
Asian
1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
506
332 M · 174 W
Women athletes
34.4%
Athletic aid
$4.5M
Total student aid
Budget
$10.0M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$2.9M
$1.6M
Recruiting expense
$69K
$13K
Head-coach salaries
$56K
$48K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 10

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
99 M · 69 W
$796K
Football
127 M ·
$2.4M
Soccer
43 M · 34 W
$973K
Baseball
54 M ·
$618K
Softball
· 47 W
$466K
Basketball
15 M · 18 W
$1.4M

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
1.34
3 offenses · 2,246 students

3-year trend

0.392 yrs ago0.411 yr ago1.34Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
5
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
2
Rape
1

By location

3total
  • On campus1
  • Non-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
Drugs18
Liquor017

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
14.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
50

Northwood vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Northwood 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
SubjectNorthwood University
63%2,409$26,429
Walsh College
908
Cleary University
38%67.5%1,004$21,019
Lake Forest Graduate School of Management
196
Hult International Business School
67%60.5%2,008$42,402
Babson College
93%17.1%3,932$38,876
Peer group median65%60.5%1,506$32,653

Frequently asked questions about Northwood University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Northwood.

What is the graduation rate at Northwood University?

Northwood University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 63% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Northwood University?

Northwood University reports a total enrollment of 2,409 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Northwood University?

The average net price at Northwood University is $26,429 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Northwood University?

Northwood University's yield rate is 28.6%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Northwood University located?

Northwood University is located in Midland, Michigan 48640-2398.

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