by our College Data Analytics TeamNorthwest University is a private not-for-profit institution in Kirkland, Washington enrolling 645 undergraduates. It accepts 83% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 71%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #604 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 12%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Northwest University ranks #604 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 12%.
In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.
Northwest University was awarded 4 badges in the 2027 rankings.
According to College Factual’s 2027 analysis, Northwest University is ranked #604 out of 5,159 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality. This puts it in the top 20% of all schools in the nation.
Northwest University also holds the #16 spot on the Best Colleges in Washington ranking.
See all of the rankings for Northwest University.
The acceptance rate at Northwest University is 83%. That’s higher than the rate at many schools, but still low enough to be considered somewhat selective. If you want to get in, you’ll need good grades and to be able to show that Northwest University is a good fit for you.
About 15% of students accepted to Northwest University submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 540 and 700. Math scores were between 500 and 650.
Learn more about Northwest University admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at Northwest University is an impressive 9 to 1. That’s quite good when you compare it to the national average of 15 to 1. This is a good sign that students at the school will have more opportunities for one-on-one interactions with their professors.
In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Northwest University is 25%. This is lower than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate of 84% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like Northwest University enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.
Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At Northwest University the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 71%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Northwest University.
During the most recent academic year, there were 645 undergraduates at Northwest University.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Northwest University.
The typical net cost at Northwest University is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $17,996 | $14,384 | $17,840 | $22,644 | $28,570 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Northwest University, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At Northwest University, approximately 55% of students took out student loans averaging $6,414 a year. That adds up to $25,656 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 3.7%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for Northwest University.
Yearly salaries vary depending on what you major in, but on average, bachelor’s degree recipients from Northwest University make around $54,914 per year during the early years of their employment. That’s great news for Northwest University students since it is 12% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year.
See which majors at Northwest University make the most money.
Northwest University is an private not-for-profit institution situated in Kirkland, Washington. Kirkland is considered a suburb and offers tranquility and safety near the excitement of a city center. Get more details about the location of Northwest University.
Contact information for Northwest University can be found below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 5520 108th Ave NE, Kirkland, WA 98083-0579 |
| Phone: | 4258228266 |
| Website: | www.northwestu.edu |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_University_(Washington) |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/northwestu |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/northwestu |
In the latest year of available data, students from 16 majors graduated from Northwest University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 316 | NA |
| Business Administration & Management | 63 | $40,529 |
| Nursing | 37 | $67,822 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 35 | NA |
| Theological & Ministerial Studies | 23 | $33,021 |
| Clinical & Counseling Psychology | 20 | $45,969 |
| General Education | 17 | $61,155 |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | 14 | NA |
| Communication & Media Studies | 10 | NA |
| General Psychology | 10 | NA |
143 students took at least one online class at Northwest University.
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
Learn more about online learning at Northwest University.
Curious how schools stack up against Northwest University? Compare them side by side using College Combat, a free interactive tool for comparing colleges on the features you care about.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
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