Northwestern College
For-profit College in Oak Lawn, IL. Six-year graduation rate 34%.
Completion is the weak point: 34% graduate within six years. Mobility is where this school separates itself: 2.4% of students move from the bottom income quintile to the top.
- ! Graduation rate 34% — below national average
Academics
Only 34% finish within six years, so roughly two in three students leave without the credential. The 12:1 student-faculty ratio is small enough that seminar-sized classes are the norm. This is a for-profit four-year institution. That is not disqualifying, but it does mean verifying accreditation, transferability of credits, and job-placement claims directly rather than trusting the category. At 514 undergraduates, expect a small, closely-held student body.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Average net price after grant aid is $24,988 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. Net price varies modestly by income — $24,589 at $0–30k against $27,226 at $48–75k — so the average is a fair guide for most families. 74% of students receive grant aid, averaging $5,576 — common but not automatic. 75% of students borrow federally, so debt is the norm rather than the exception.
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 | $24,589 |
| $30–48k | $25,276 |
| $48–75k | $27,226 |
| $75–110k | — |
| $110k+ | — |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Cook County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026