Quad

Head-to-head

Northern State
U. Northwestern-St Paul

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Northern State costs about $12.7K less per year on average than U. Northwestern-St Paul ($17,457 vs. $30,192, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    U. Northwestern-St Paul graduates 17 pts more of its students than Northern State (66% vs. 50%)

    Graduation rate
  3. 3

    U. Northwestern-St Paul's grants cover 42% of its full price on average, vs. 26% at Northern State

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    Northern State has 14 pts more first-gen students than U. Northwestern-St Paul (31% vs. 16%)

    First-generation students
  5. 5

    Northern State's yield is 4 pts higher than U. Northwestern-St Paul's

    Yield rate
  6. 6

    U. Northwestern-St Paul has 3 pts more Pell recipients than Northern State (16% vs. 12%)

    Pell Grant recipients

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

Northern State admits 93%, U. Northwestern-St Paul 93%; Northern State's yield is higher, at 35%.

Acceptance rate
Northern State93%
U. Northwestern-St Paul93%
Quad's selectivity
  • Northern StateOpen
  • U. Northwestern-St PaulOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 800–1600
Northern State
980–1160
U. Northwestern-St Paul
868–1271
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Northern StateGPA, school record, rank, and prep program required
  • U. Northwestern-St PaulGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

U. Northwestern-St Paul is a bit larger than Northern State (1,442 vs. 1,273 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Northern State1.3K
U. Northwestern-St Paul1.4K
Pell Grant share
Northern State12%
U. Northwestern-St Paul16%

Majors and faculty

Elementary Education and Teaching leads at Northern State, and Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse at U. Northwestern-St Paul.

Students per faculty member
Northern State19 to 1
U. Northwestern-St Paul16 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Northern StateElementary Education and Teaching10%
  • U. Northwestern-St PaulRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse11%

What each costs

Northern State costs about $12.7K less a year than U. Northwestern-St Paul on average; U. Northwestern-St Paul's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Northern State$17.5K
U. Northwestern-St Paul$30.2K
Aid generosity
Northern State26%
U. Northwestern-St Paul42%

What each pays off

U. Northwestern-St Paul's former students earn more, a median $50.8K ten years after enrolling; both graduate at least 50% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Northern State$47.6K
U. Northwestern-St Paul$50.8K
Graduation rate
Northern State50%
U. Northwestern-St Paul66%

How each has changed

Applications held steady at U. Northwestern-St Paul but fell at Northern State; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Northern StateShrinking−21%
  • U. Northwestern-St PaulSteady−4%
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