Measures of excellence
Our stats could lead to your success.
100% pass rate
Northwestern’s most recent NURSING graduates recorded a 100% first-time board pass rate. No wonder they’re in demand by top medical centers like the Mayo Clinic, Sanford Health and Duke University Hospital.
Best in the world
Our 2021 PRE-MED grads’ MCAT scores ranked in the top 10% worldwide. 80% of NWC med school applicants are accepted the first time they apply. (Compare that to the national acceptance rate for all applicants: 45%).
Top scores
Northwestern ACCOUNTING students consistently achieve top scores and pass rates on the CPA exam. So far, 2017 was our best showing: Our students had an 89.3% pass-rate, the best in Iowa and #2 in the nation among all institutions with 10+ candidates. How impressive is that? That same year Notre Dame was 11th and Duke was 23rd.
Elite research
We’re 1 of just 2 institutions in Iowa selected for SEA-PHAGES and 1 of just 40 baccalaureate colleges worldwide. The program involves BIOLOGY students in a global effort to discover phages and sequence and annotate their DNA. So far, more than 40 NWC undergrads have peer-reviewed publications to tout as a result of their phage research and discoveries. Northwestern also participates in SEA-GENES, next-level research enabling our students to discover and publish previously unknown functions of genes.
Top-20 nationally
Northwestern’s ACTUARIAL SCIENCE degree is among the nation’s top 20 best-value programs. We’re also 1 of just 2 Christian colleges that have met the requirements for Advanced Curriculum recognition by the Society of Actuaries. Our grads have typically passed 2 actuarial exams by the time they graduate, and their pass rate is 80% (compared to 50% nationally).
Top 5% globally
NWC seniors competing in the international BUSINESS Strategy Game as part of their senior capstone class consistently finish in the top 5% among 6,500 teams competing around the world.
99.5% success
99.5% of recent grads got jobs or started grad school within 6 months of graduating. In fact, nearly half (47%) of 2018 grads had a job lined up before May, compared with just 27% at peer colleges.
Grad school prep
81% of alums who pursue advanced degrees report NWC prepared them more than adequately or even very well for graduate or professional school.
Salary satisfaction
55% of Northwestern alumni report making $80,000+ per year. (In comparison, 49% of alumni from other Council of Christian Colleges & Universities schools report the same or higher salary levels.)
Top scores in psychology
Recent psychology graduates scored in the top 4% on a national benchmark exam. That’s not surprising, since our psych majors consistently present research at national conferences and excel in graduate programs.
