Northwest's student loan default rate is 1.6%, compared to the Missouri average of 1.3% and national average of 2.3%
59% graduation rate, which is in the 89th percentile of Northwest's national peer group
Average class size of 27
78% of Northwest classes have fewer than 30 students, 44% have fewer than 20
261 full-time faculty members
95% of tenure and tenure-track faculty have the highest degree in their field
100% of classes taught by professionals, not graduate assistants
50% of Northwest’s regular courses are web enhanced
21-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio
Laptops and textbooks are included in tuition at Northwest, ensuring all students have access to the tools they need to be successful in the classroom. Northwest launched its textbook rental program in 1922 and the laptop rental program in 2005; the programs save students nearly $6,800 during their four-year academic career.
80% of Northwest students report they would repeat their Northwest experience, compared to 77% of students surveyed nationally at their respective institutions, according to results of the 2021 Ruffalo Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory.
41% of students live on campus
Over half of students actively participate in one or more of Northwest’s 150-plus student organizations
14% of students participate in Greek Life
Students have about 1,200 opportunities to build their resumes on campus through student employment
Men’s varsity sports: football, basketball, baseball, track and field, cross country and tennis
Women’s varsity sports: basketball, volleyball, softball, soccer, track and field, cross country, tennis and golf
79% Student-Athlete Academic Success Rate
60% Student-Athlete Graduation Rate
3.2 grade-point average among all student-athletes
Led MIAA in 2016 with 112 Northwest student-athletes receiving Division II Athletics Directors Association Academic Achievement Award for earning a cumulative 3.5 grade-point average or higher for at least two years.
Two Northwest men's basketball players have received the Bevo Francis Award, declaring them the top player in all of small college basketball, Justin Pitts in 2016-17 and Trevor Hudgins in 2021-22.
1998, 1999, 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2016 NCAA Division II football national champions, making them the most of any Division II football program, and a four-time national runner-up (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022 NCAA Division II men's basketball national champions, becoming the first Division II program to win three consecutive national championships in men's basketball. (The tournament was not played in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)
In 2016-17, Northwest became the first Division II institution to win national championships in football and men's basketball in the same academic year.
14 individual national champions in indoor and outdoor track and field
Women's basketball team advanced to the 2011 NCAA Division II Final Four
2010, 2012 and 2013 Universal Cheerleaders Association national champions
The Northwest Foundation awarded $1.3 million in financial assistance through 1,420 scholarships during FY22.
Northwest Foundation concluded FY21, its 50th anniversary, with the closure of its seven-year Forever Green campaign, which raised more than $55 million and exceeded its $45 million goal.
The Office of University Advancement is a two-time recipient, in 2017 and 2018, of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Educational Fundraising Award, presented to superior fundraising programs at educational institutions across the country.
The Foundation’s total assets under management are valued at $43.1 million while its endowment is $42.3 million.
Prominent alumni include Jean Jennings Bartik, who helped program the world's first electronic computer.
Northwest is nationally competitive in a variety of academic fields, having received multiple national awards and championships in forensics, business education, radio broadcasting and journalism, and agricultural sciences.
Ranked as the top moderately selective regional university in Missouri on U.S. News and World Report’s list of “Best Colleges” for 2015, 2016 and 2018.
Achieved all five benchmarks within the state of Missouri’s performance-based funding model for FY14, FY15, FY16 and FY18.
Ranked among top 10 energy-reducing schools by Campus Conservation Nationals in 2013 and 2015.
School of Business is ranked among top 100 business schools by NerdWallet.com.
Winner of the 2011, 2013 and 2014 Annual Recycling Awards from the Missouri State Recycling Program, which recognizes outstanding contributions in a series of recycling collection, waste or recycled content procurement.
Named Military Friendly School by Victory Media for 11 consecutive years, representing the top 20 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country for delivering the best experience for military students.
In 1987, Northwest became known as "The Electronic Campus" by implementing the first comprehensive networked campus in the nation at a public university.
Since 1982, Northwest has been on the cutting edge of alternative fuels. More than 50 percent of the University’s energy needs are provided through alternative fuels, such as wood chips and paper pellets, saving taxpayers more than $15 million since the program’s inception.
The Horace Mann Laboratory School and the Phyllis and Richard Leet Center for Children and Families provide a clinical experience for pre-service teachers and a diverse and interactive learning environment for children ages three through sixth grade. The International Association of Laboratory Schools recognized the schools in 2021 with its award for outstanding laboratory schools.
The School of Agricultural Sciences offers students hands-on experience at its 448-acre R.T. Wright Farm, which is home to beef, swine, dairy, poultry and sheep herds, as well as row, silage and hay crops. Students also gain experience at the campus orchard, Horticulture Complex, a composting facility and on the campus grounds as the Missouri State Arboretum.
The School of Communication and Mass Media offers students profession-based experience through two campus radio stations, a campus TV station, a semi-independent broadcast production company, and award-winning student publications including a newspaper, yearbook and online magazine. Both the Tower yearbook, an 11-time Pacemaker recipient, and The Northwest Missourian, a two-time Pacemaker recipient, are members of the Associated Collegiate Press Hall of Fame.
