North Central College
Private College in Naperville, IL. Six-year graduation rate 64%. Median 10-year earnings $60,123.
A decade after enrolling, the median North Central College student earns $60,123 — comfortably above what the typical bachelor's-granting institution returns. 64% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Median debt at graduation is $24,500, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
North Central College accepts 77% of applicants, which makes it accessible to most students who meet the baseline requirements. The applicant pool runs to 4,596, typical for a school of this reach. A 14% yield rate is low: the admitted pool is much larger than the entering class. The score bands below rest on the 21% of enrolled first-years who submitted an SAT score — a self-selected group, and not a cutoff.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 530–650 | 103 (21%) |
| SAT Math | 525–660 | |
| ACT Composite | 24–29 | 31 (6%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at North Central College →Academics
Completion is middling: 64% finish inside six years. First-year retention is 77% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. With 36% transferring out, this functions substantially as a stepping stone. A 12:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,358 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $23,276 annually once grants are applied. The income table below is the number that matters — $12,507 at $0–30k versus $26,961 at $110k+. Grant aid is widespread — 99% of students receive it, averaging $30,870. Federal borrowing reaches 49% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 516 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $12,507 |
| $30–48k | $13,486 |
| $48–75k | $16,362 |
| $75–110k | $20,590 |
| $110k+ | $26,961 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,150 of these 2,358 students, totalling $11,145,713 — an average of $9,692 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (DuPage County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)