Public · University
Indiana University-Northwest
Gary, Indiana · Large suburb
- 73.4%
- Admit rate
- $5,130
- Avg net price
- 37%
- Graduation rate
- $43,361
- Median earnings
Indiana University-Northwest is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Gary, Indiana (large suburb setting), enrolling 2,661 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Indiana University-Northwest's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 73.4%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 910–1180
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.07
Enter a test score to see where you land against Indiana University-Northwest's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Indiana University-Northwest's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. Gary, Indiana, was founded in 1906 by the U.S. Steel corporation as the home for its new plant, Gary Works. The city was named after lawyer Elbert Henry Gary, who was the founding chairman of the United States Steel Corporation. Meredith Willson's 1957 Broadway musical The Music Man featured the song "Gary, Indiana", in which lead character (and con man) Professor Harold Hill wistfully recalls his purported hometown, then prosperous. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 27 miles to Chicago, IL
- To Great Lakes shore
- 5 miles
- Nearest airport
- 6 miles to Gary/Chicago (GYY)
How Indiana University-Northwest compares
More selective than 57% · #14 most selective of 42 in Indiana
Higher than 18%
Higher than 19% · #39 of 45 in Indiana
Higher than 34%
Higher than 20% · #43 of 44 in Indiana
Cheaper than 98% · #2 cheapest of 45 in Indiana
Lower than 61%
Lower than 35%
Larger than 66%
Percentiles compare Indiana University-Northwest with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Indiana.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate2,66191%
- Graduate2639%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,87871%
- Men78329%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White42%
- Black20%
- Hispanic30%
- Asian2.9%
- Other or multiracial5.6%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,661
- Graduate enrollment
- 263
- Student–faculty ratio
- 15 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 43%
- First-generation students
- 45%
- Students over 25
- 24%
- Median family income
- $36,436
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $68,058
- Endowment
- $16,984,637
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 470 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Indiana95%
- Other U.S. states4.7%
Most first-years stay in state — Indiana University-Northwest draws overwhelmingly from Indiana.
Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 73.4%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 910–1180
- SAT average
- 1055
- SAT reading
- 460–600
- SAT math
- 450–580
- ACT composite
- 18–26
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.07
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $8,424
- Out-of-state tuition
- $22,811
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,166
- Total cost of attendance
- $13,989
- Average net price
- $5,130
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 37%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 20%
- First-year retention
- 71%
- Transferred to another college
- 23%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $39,714
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $43,361
- Median debt at graduation
- $21,710
- Students with federal loans
- 34%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 31%
About 17% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NAIA Division II
- Varsity athletes
- 100 (42 men · 58 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (4)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.1 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,041 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$5,159/year × about 4.7 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 32% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,033. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 389 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $43,361
- Typical debt at graduation
- $21,710
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 50%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 53%
Typical debt would take roughly 5.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $12,414 (31%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 82°F
- Winter low
- 18°F
- Annual rain
- 39.2″
- Annual snow
- 40.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Indiana Dunes NL, IN US station (13.9 mi from campus).
What Indiana University-Northwest graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Indiana University-Northwest
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Indiana University-Northwest side by side →
Elizabeth City State University
Elizabeth City, North Carolina · Distant town · 40 mi to Norfolk
- Students
- 1,975
- Admission
- 64%
- Net price
- $6k
- SAT
- 1019
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $40k
Purdue University Northwest
Hammond, Indiana · Large suburb · 22 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 5,671
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $6k
- SAT
- 1024
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $48k
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Durant, Oklahoma · Distant town · 88 mi to Dallas
- Students
- 3,018
- Admission
- 76%
- Net price
- $8k
- SAT
- 1087
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $45k
Indiana University-East
Richmond, Indiana · Distant town · 37 mi to Dayton
- Students
- 2,589
- Admission
- 67%
- Net price
- $8k
- SAT
- 1061
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $47k
Indiana University-Kokomo
Kokomo, Indiana · Small city · 48 mi to Indianapolis
- Students
- 2,352
- Admission
- 86%
- Net price
- $4k
- SAT
- 1065
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $50k
Indiana University-Southeast
New Albany, Indiana · Large suburb · 7 mi to Louisville
- Students
- 3,170
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $8k
- SAT
- 1072
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $48k
Colleges near Indiana University-Northwest
Lil Lou's Beauty and Barber College
Gary, IN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 40 students
Paul Mitchell the School-Merrillville
Merrillville, IN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 107 students
Denmark College
Merrillville, IN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 175 students
Stellar Career College-Crown Point
Crown Point, IN · Private for-profit · Associate · 81 students
Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Highland
Highland, IN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 319 students
Purdue University Northwest
Hammond, IN · Public · Bachelor's · 5,671 students
Don Roberts School of Hair Design
Schererville, IN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 25 students
Lil Lou's Beauty and Barber College-Hammond
Hammond, IN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 26 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.













