Northland College
Private College in Ashland, WI. Six-year graduation rate 50%. Median 10-year earnings $44,560.
Ten years after entry, the median Northland College student earns $44,560 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. 50% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Graduates carry a median of $25,450 in debt — in line with the national norm.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ! Mobility score 0.6 — limited economic uplift documented
Admissions
An acceptance rate of 75% puts Northland College on the accessible end — a realistic target for a broad range of applicants. The applicant pool is small at 947, which makes year-over-year comparisons unreliable. Yield is low at 10%, so most admitted students do not end up enrolling. Read the score bands below as the middle 50% of submitted scores, not a threshold to clear.
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 | 500–550 | — |
| SAT Math | 450–590 | |
| ACT Composite | 18–25 | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Northland College →Academics
Six-year completion sits at 50%, meaning about one in two students who enroll leave without finishing. Retention is weak: only 31% of full-time first-years return, so roughly two in three leave after one year. 14% transfer out. IPEDS does not follow them, so whether they finished elsewhere is not recorded either way. The 5:1 student-faculty ratio is small enough that seminar-sized classes are the norm. As a private nonprofit four-year college, the relevant comparison is other four-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Average net price after grant aid is $23,253 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $16,842 at the $0–30k band to $56,889 at $110k+. Grant aid is widespread — 100% of students receive it, averaging $33,572. Most students borrow — 60% take federal loans to cover the gap.
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 | $16,842 |
| $30–48k | $22,695 |
| $48–75k | $21,581 |
| $75–110k | $47,714 |
| $110k+ | $56,889 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Ashland County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026