Quad

Head-to-head

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Northwest's yield is 21 pts higher than Earlham's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Northwest has 14 pts more first-gen students than Earlham (36% vs. 23%)

    First-generation students
  3. 3

    Earlham's grants cover 59% of its full price on average, vs. 51% at Northwest

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    Earlham graduates 8 pts more of its students than Northwest (74% vs. 66%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    Northwest grads earn $4.1K more ten years out than Earlham's ($54,914 vs. $50,797)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  6. 6

    Northwest costs about $2.9K less per year on average than Earlham ($24,830 vs. $27,760, all students)

    Average cost, all students

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Earlham admits 79%, Northwest 83%; Northwest's yield is higher, at 31%.

Acceptance rate
Earlham79%
Northwest83%
Quad's selectivity
  • EarlhamAccessible
  • NorthwestAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 900–1600
Earlham
1110–1290
Northwest
1040–1350
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • EarlhamRigor and GPA very important49%
  • NorthwestGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Earlham and Northwest are about the same size; Northwest has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Earlham670
Northwest645
Pell Grant share
Earlham24%
Northwest25%

Majors and faculty

Biochemistry leads at Earlham, and Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse at Northwest; Earlham has 7 students per faculty member to Northwest's 9.

Students per faculty member
Earlham7 to 1
Northwest9 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • EarlhamBiochemistry10%
  • NorthwestRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse21%

What each costs

Northwest costs about $2.9K less a year than Earlham on average; Earlham's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Earlham$27.8K
Northwest$24.8K
Aid generosity
Earlham59%
Northwest51%

What each pays off

Northwest's former students earn more, a median $54.9K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Earlham$50.8K
Northwest$54.9K
Graduation rate
Earlham74%
Northwest66%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Northwest but held steady at Earlham; Northwest got more selective while Earlham got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • EarlhamSteady+4%
  • NorthwestGrowing+35%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why