Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Small city campus · verified rankings · federal data

Northwood University

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

CompareOfficial site
Midland, Michigan1,974 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 94Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Northwood University: Washington Monthly ranks it #1410 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars. It enrolls 1,974 undergraduates, admits 64.5% of applicants, and posts a 63.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $34,400; aid recipients pay $27,232 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $63,075.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
64.5%

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
$27,232

43% below the $47,500 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
$63,075

Above the dataset median of $54,053

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
63.3%

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
$20,842

Above the dataset median of $23,250

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

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedNorthwood University reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Northwood University 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 News2026National universities, liberal arts, regional and specialty listsNot ranked by this source
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#1410of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
Money2026Best Value Colleges4 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

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 Northwood University

Northwood University is a private nonprofit institution in Midland, Michigan. Federal data show 78.6% first-year retention and a 13:1 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 $27,232 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 $47,500 sticker cost against $27,232 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 Northwood 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
$34,400

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

Undergraduates on Pell grants
25.7%

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

Room & board
$13,100

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

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $47,500 a year, but the average family pays $27,232 — a 43% difference. 25.7% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Northwood University'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
    13:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    78.6%

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

    Undergraduate enrollment
    1,974

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

    Northwood University: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $34,400 and on-campus room and board is $13,100, for a published total of $47,500 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $27,232.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 64.5%. 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.

    William Jessup University

    Rocklin, CAPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    William Jessup University: Washington Monthly ranks it #1415 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3 stars. It enrolls 1,294 undergraduates, admits 93.3% of applicants, and posts a 56.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $37,150; aid recipients pay $28,062 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $56,257.

    Acceptance rate
    93.3%
    Average net price
    $28,062
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $56,257
    6-yr graduation rate
    56.0%
    Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1415 of 1,504Money · Best value (Money)Listed · 3 stars

    1,294 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 94 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Pratt Institute-Main

    Brooklyn, NYPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Pratt Institute-Main: Forbes ranks it #421 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1495 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 2 stars. It enrolls 3,910 undergraduates, admits 73.3% of applicants, and posts a 73.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $61,845; aid recipients pay $52,659 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $54,295.

    Acceptance rate
    73.3%
    Average net price
    $52,659
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $54,295
    6-yr graduation rate
    73.5%
    Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#421 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1495 of 1,504Money · Best value (Money)Listed · 2 stars

    3,910 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 92 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Emmanuel College

    Boston, MAPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Emmanuel College: U.S. News ranks it #145 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #415 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1483 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3 stars. It enrolls 1,854 undergraduates, admits 75.6% of applicants, and posts a 67.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $48,550; aid recipients pay $26,706 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $68,245.

    Acceptance rate
    75.6%
    Average net price
    $26,706
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $68,245
    6-yr graduation rate
    67.5%
    US News · Liberal arts colleges#145 of 210Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#415 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1483 of 1,504+1 more on profile

    1,854 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 84 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Northwood University against these