Private nonprofit · College

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois · Midsize city

77.3%
Admit rate
$21,044
Avg net price
64%
Graduation rate
$60,123
Median earnings

North Central College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Naperville, Illinois (midsize city setting), enrolling 2,428 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,428 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 77% admitNCAA Division III with football · College Conference of Illinois and WisconsinCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against North Central College's admitted students.

Admit rate
77.3%
SAT (mid 50%)
1055–1310
Avg GPA (est.)
3.47

Enter a test score to see where you land against North Central College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and North Central College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Naperville, Illinois

Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The Iliniwek was the predominant tribe throughout Illinois at the time. They were later forced off the land by the Potawatomi tribe. The Potawatomi inhabited Naperville when the first settlers arrived. The Naperville Public Library has three library branches within city limits. In 2020, there were 61,476 active cardholders, there were 728,147 total library visits, and there were 2,973,939 checkouts. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
27 miles to Chicago, IL
To Great Lakes shore
28 miles
Nearest airport
19 miles to Chicago O'Hare (ORD) · major hub

How North Central College compares

Selectivity77.3%

More selective than 50% · #30 most selective of 58 in Illinois

SAT average1213

Higher than 62%

Graduation rate64%

Higher than 67% · #21 of 58 in Illinois

First-year retention77%

Higher than 53%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$60,123

Higher than 68% · #27 of 66 in Illinois

Average net price$21,044

Cheaper than 45% · #36 cheapest of 57 in Illinois

Median debt at graduation$24,500

Lower than 41%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment2,428

Larger than 63%

Percentiles compare North Central College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Illinois.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,977students
  • Undergraduate2,42882%
  • Graduate54918%

Undergraduates by gender

2,428undergrads
  • Women1,30854%
  • Men1,12046%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White59%
  • Black6.5%
  • Hispanic19%
  • Asian3.8%
  • Other or multiracial11%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,428
Graduate enrollment
549
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
24%
First-generation students
27%
Students over 25
4%
Median family income
$77,267
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$81,675
Endowment
$139,739,937

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 516 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Illinois81%
  • Other U.S. states19%

Most first-years stay in state — North Central College draws overwhelmingly from Illinois.

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
77.3%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1055–1310
SAT average
1213
SAT reading
530–650
SAT math
525–660
ACT composite
24–29
Average GPA (estimated)
3.47

Cost

In-state tuition
$45,726
Room & board
$14,688
Books & supplies
$900
Total cost of attendance
$57,219
Average net price
$21,044

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)
64%
Graduated on time (4 years)
55%
First-year retention
77%
Transferred to another college
35%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$51,762
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$60,123
Median debt at graduation
$24,500
Students with federal loans
48%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
71%

About 9% 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)

All students
55%
Low-income (Pell)
68%
First-generation
66%

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
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,417
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
58%
Housing charge (year)
$9,554
Meal plan (year)
$4,890
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
Varsity athletes
1,002 (651 men · 351 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 (15)

Track and Field (Indoor)178
Track and Field (Outdoor)175
Football142
Wrestling96
Cross Country69
Soccer67
Lacrosse56
Baseball43
Basketball42
Volleyball36
Tennis25
Swimming23
Golf22
Softball19
Other Sports9

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
14
Property offenses (2022–2024)
12

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,003 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.

8.7reported offenses a year
4.7 violent a year4.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
4.0
Burglary
3.7
Fondling
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

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.

< $30k
$12,507
$30–48k
$13,486
$48–75k
$16,362
$75–110k
$20,590
$110k+
$26,961

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.

Est. total to a degree
$68,934

$16,362/year × about 4.2 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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$27,662
average award, among those who get one

North Central College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $27,662. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

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 481 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)
$60,123
Typical debt at graduation
$24,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
41%
Out-earn a HS grad
70%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

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.

Women
$56,799
Men
$65,517

Men out-earn women by $8,718 (15%) 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
84°F
Winter low
15°F
Annual rain
40.2″
Annual snow
24.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lisle-Morton Arboretum, IL US station (4.4 mi from campus).

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 North Central College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare North Central College side by side →

Colleges near North Central College

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.