Quad

Head-to-head

Spring Arbor
Northwest Nazarene

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Spring Arbor costs about $9.5K less per year on average than Northwest Nazarene ($22,243 vs. $31,752, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Spring Arbor's grants cover 52% of its full price on average, vs. 44% at Northwest Nazarene

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Spring Arbor's yield is 7 pts higher than Northwest Nazarene's

    Yield rate
  4. 4

    Spring Arbor is more diverse (index 0.50 vs. 0.45)

    Diversity index
  5. 5

    Spring Arbor admits 52% vs. 65% at Northwest Nazarene

    Acceptance rate
  6. 6

    Spring Arbor has 1 pts more first-gen students than Northwest Nazarene (35% vs. 34%)

    First-generation 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

Spring Arbor admits 52%, Northwest Nazarene 65%; Spring Arbor's yield is higher, at 17%.

Acceptance rate
Spring Arbor52%
Northwest Nazarene65%
Quad's selectivity
  • Spring ArborSelective
  • Northwest NazareneAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 900–1600
Spring Arbor
1010–1240
Northwest Nazarene
1005–1240
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Spring ArborGPA and school record required
  • Northwest NazareneGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Spring Arbor and Northwest Nazarene are about the same size; Northwest Nazarene has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Spring Arbor1K
Northwest Nazarene1K
Pell Grant share
Spring Arbor29%
Northwest Nazarene30%

Majors and faculty

Social Work leads at Spring Arbor, and Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse at Northwest Nazarene.

Students per faculty member
Spring Arbor12 to 1
Northwest Nazarene14 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Spring ArborSocial Work27%
  • Northwest NazareneRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse20%

What each costs

Spring Arbor costs about $9.5K less a year than Northwest Nazarene on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Spring Arbor$22.2K
Northwest Nazarene$31.8K
Aid generosity
Spring Arbor52%
Northwest Nazarene44%

What each pays off

Former students earn about the same at both, a median $51.7K ten years after enrolling; both graduate at least 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Spring Arbor$51.7K
Northwest Nazarene$51.7K
Graduation rate
Spring Arbor60%
Northwest Nazarene60%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Northwest Nazarene but held steady at Spring Arbor; Spring Arbor got more selective while Northwest Nazarene held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Spring ArborSteady−4%
  • Northwest NazareneGrowing+103%
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

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

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