University of
Northwestern-St Paul
Private College in Saint Paul, MN. Six-year graduation rate 68%. Median 10-year earnings $50,755.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $50,755 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. Completion is a strength: 68% of students finish within six years. Median debt at graduation is $21,325, 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
- ! Mobility score 1.0 — limited economic uplift documented
Admissions
With an acceptance rate of 93%, University of Northwestern-St Paul takes nearly everyone who applies. With 1,301 applicants, admissions statistics here move a lot on small changes. 31% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction. The score bands below rest on the 4% 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 | 430–608 | 16 (4%) |
| SAT Math | 438–663 | |
| ACT Composite | 20–28 | 128 (35%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at University of Northwestern-St Paul →Academics
68% of students finish within six years, putting completion well above the national norm. First-year retention of 83% shows the cohort holds together through the hardest year. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. A 16:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars. 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 · grant and loan rates against 1,495 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price averages $29,117 annually, so cost is the first thing to weigh here. The gap between the $0–30k and $110k+ bands is narrow ($26,696 versus $31,348), meaning aid is not strongly need-weighted. 96% of students get grant aid averaging $21,953, so the published price is a poor guide to what most pay. 58% of students borrow federally, so debt is the norm rather than the exception.
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 · 357 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 | $26,696 |
| $30–48k | $23,884 |
| $48–75k | $21,689 |
| $75–110k | $25,267 |
| $110k+ | $31,348 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 860 of these 1,495 students, totalling $5,448,429 — an average of $6,335 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Ramsey 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)