Northwood University
Private College in Midland, MI. Six-year graduation rate 63%. Median 10-year earnings $63,075.
Ten-year median earnings of $63,075 are the headline number here, and they are strong ones. 63% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Median debt at graduation is $20,842, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree. On economic mobility, 2.4% of students travel from the bottom income quintile to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.33 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
An acceptance rate of 65% puts Northwood University on the accessible end — a realistic target for a broad range of applicants. The applicant pool runs to 1,851, typical for a school of this reach. 29% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction.
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 | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Northwood University →Academics
Completion is middling: 63% finish inside six years. 79% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in five are gone before sophomore year. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 68% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled. The 14:1 student-faculty ratio is small enough that seminar-sized classes are the norm.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,900 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $25,549 annually once grants are applied. Income makes less difference than usual: $25,700 at $0–30k, $28,224 at $110k+. Grant aid reaches 73% of students at an average of $17,332. Federal borrowing reaches 47% 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 · 319 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 | $25,700 |
| $30–48k | $25,913 |
| $48–75k | $25,906 |
| $75–110k | $26,016 |
| $110k+ | $28,224 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 891 of these 1,900 students, totalling $9,424,547 — an average of $10,577 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Midland 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)