Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Suburban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Northwest Nazarene University

Students comparing Northwest Nazarene University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Nampa, Idaho1,024 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 54Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Northwest Nazarene University: U.S. News ranks it #63 on Regional Universities (West) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1240 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #676 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,024 undergraduates, admits 64.7% of applicants, and posts a 70.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $40,794; aid recipients pay $29,580 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $51,719.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
64.7%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$29,580

44% below the $52,864 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$51,719

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
70.8%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$23,750

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1005–1240

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Northwest Nazarene ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (West)#63of 118Regional univ. (West)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#1240of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#676of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Northwest Nazarene's position moves 56 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Northwest Nazarene

Northwest Nazarene University is a private nonprofit institution in Nampa, Idaho. Federal data show 77.4% first-year retention and a 14:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $29,580 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $52,864 sticker cost against $29,580 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Northwest Nazarene University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$40,794

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
29.8%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$12,070

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $52,864 a year, but the average family pays $29,580 — a 44% difference. 29.8% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Northwest Nazarene's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    14:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    77.4%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    1,024

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Northwest Nazarene: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $40,794 and on-campus room and board is $12,070, for a published total of $52,864 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $29,580.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 64.7%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Simpson University

    Redding, CAPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Simpson University: U.S. News ranks it #177 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #551 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1108 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars. It enrolls 809 undergraduates, admits 86.0% of applicants, and posts a 48.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $39,708; aid recipients pay $27,817 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $54,340.

    Acceptance rate
    86.0%
    Average net price
    $27,817
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $54,340
    6-yr graduation rate
    48.8%
    US News · Liberal arts colleges#177 of 210Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#551 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1108 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    809 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 54 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Rocky Mountain College

    Billings, MTPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Rocky Mountain College: U.S. News ranks it #84 on Regional Universities (West) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #732 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1045 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 840 undergraduates, admits 69.6% of applicants, and posts a 48.4% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $35,582; aid recipients pay $19,751 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $49,036.

    Acceptance rate
    69.6%
    Average net price
    $19,751
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $49,036
    6-yr graduation rate
    48.4%
    US News · Regional univ. (West)#84 of 118Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#732 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1045 of 2,605

    840 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 53 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    La Sierra University

    Riverside, CAPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    La Sierra University: U.S. News ranks it #43 on Regional Universities (West) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1231 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1007 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,116 undergraduates, admits 91.5% of applicants, and posts a 59.7% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $37,710; aid recipients pay $45,566 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $61,824.

    Acceptance rate
    91.5%
    Average net price
    $45,566
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $61,824
    6-yr graduation rate
    59.7%
    US News · Regional univ. (West)#43 of 118Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1231 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1007 of 2,605

    1,116 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 52 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Northwest Nazarene against these