Northwestern College of Iowa Admission
Northwestern College of Iowa Undergraduate Program
Northwestern College of Iowa Application

The Facts

The Northwestern College of Iowa is a small, private institution located in the town of Orange City, Iowa, and is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America. The college is actually one of the oldest institutions in the state, having been founded in 1882. The school is home to over 1,200 undergraduate students and approximately 60 graduate and part-time professional students who are able to take courses in both the liberal arts and sciences, and preprofessional studies. The school’s academic divisions offer broad majors in the areas of biological science, agriculture, (home to a great program in agricultural business management), business (which has a unique program in business economics), communications and the arts (home to a surprisingly good program in the dramatic arts), computer and physical science, education (a large program encompassing a fairly wide range of majors), health professions (home to programs as diverse as medical laboratory technology and pre-medicine), and social sciences. Some of the most popular majors include biology, education, religion, and business.

Admission to the Northwestern College of Iowa is slightly competitive among the relatively few number of students who apply; however, the overall number of applicants has been increasing with each passing admissions cycle. Last year, over 1,270 students applied for admission to the school and approximately 1,060 of those students were accepted; of those, about 310 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1120 to 1200 and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 24 to 31. Additionally, more than 66% of the admitted students were ranked in the top 10% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 3.7.

The Northwestern College of Iowa has a very manageable student to faculty ratio of 16:1, and it is very rare to find a class at any level with more than 15 students. Classes are discussion based, and each student really gets a chance to have their voice heard. Professors also do all they can to make themselves as accessible as possible to students.

The Social Scene

The town of Orange City is quite small and family oriented, and doesn’t really offer students much in the way of entertainment, and unfortunately it isn’t located near any major cities. However, the campus is full of life, and most students own cars so they can at least explore areas off campus. The college has no fraternities or sororities, which limits the party life to some extent; however, the school does have over 46 student groups and organizations that are quite popular with students.

The dating isn’t isn’t very diverse or particularly exotic, but keep a lookout and you’re bound to find quite a catch...

What’s Good

“I really love the whole feeling of this school. It’s a very comfortable place to be.”

“The administration is wonderful at helping you out. It’s a small school, so they actually take time out to answer your questions.”

“I like that there’s no pressure to drink or party; it helps me keep my focus.”

What’s Bad

“There is nothing to do in this town. It’s interminably boring!”

“I wish we had some Greek organizations or something that would make a party life spring up.”

“Everyone here seems to have the same opinions, and the same views. It’s rather dull.”

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