Private nonprofit · University

Northwest Nazarene University

Nampa, Idaho · Midsize suburb

#2 for grad earnings in Idaho#2 graduation rate in Idaho
64.7%
Admit rate
$29,580
Avg net price
71%
Graduation rate
$51,719
Median earnings

Northwest Nazarene University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Nampa, Idaho (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 1,024 undergraduates. It has a Church of the Nazarene religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,024 undergradsMidsize suburbAccessible · 65% admitNCAA Division II without footballCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Northwest Nazarene University's admitted students.

Admit rate
64.7%
SAT (mid 50%)
1005–1240
Avg GPA (est.)
3.28

Enter a test score to see where you land against Northwest Nazarene University's admitted students.

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

About Nampa, Idaho

Nampa is the most populous city in Canyon County, Idaho, United States. Nampa had its beginnings in the early 1880s when the Oregon Short Line Railroad built a line from Granger, Wyoming, to Huntington, Oregon, that passed through Nampa. In Nampa there is a history museum that marks the railroad's significance. The Ford Idaho Center is a unique complex of entertainment venues currently managed by Oak View Group. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
19 miles to Boise, ID
To the ocean
371 miles
Nearest airport
17 miles to Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field (BOI) · major hub

How Northwest Nazarene University compares

Selectivity64.7%

More selective than 71% · #2 most selective of 7 in Idaho

SAT average1130

Higher than 40%

Graduation rate71%

Higher than 79% · #2 of 8 in Idaho

First-year retention77%

Higher than 54%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$51,719

Higher than 43% · #2 of 9 in Idaho

Average net price$29,580

Cheaper than 16% · #7 cheapest of 9 in Idaho

Median debt at graduation$23,750

Lower than 46%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment1,024

Larger than 38%

Percentiles compare Northwest Nazarene University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Idaho.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,616students
  • Undergraduate1,02463%
  • Graduate59237%

Undergraduates by gender

1,024undergrads
  • Women64163%
  • Men38337%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White72%
  • Black1.7%
  • Hispanic15%
  • Asian1.2%
  • Other or multiracial9.9%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,024
Graduate enrollment
592
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
30%
First-generation students
34%
Students over 25
13%
Median family income
$51,227
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$60,840
Endowment
$71,750,548

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
64.7%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1005–1240
SAT average
1130
SAT reading
515–630
SAT math
490–610
ACT composite
22–27
Average GPA (estimated)
3.28

Cost

In-state tuition
$40,794
Room & board
$12,070
Books & supplies
$700
Total cost of attendance
$55,163
Average net price
$29,580

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)
71%
Graduated on time (4 years)
59%
First-year retention
77%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$45,488
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$51,719
Median debt at graduation
$23,750
Students with federal loans
61%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
58%

About 12% 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
59%
Low-income (Pell)
58%
First-generation
54%

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
843
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
82%
Housing charge (year)
$5,610
Meal plan (year)
$6,680
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
353 (187 men · 166 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 (7)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)162
Soccer53
Baseball43
Basketball33
Softball25
Golf21
Volleyball16

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
2

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,635 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.

1.0reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
0.3
Burglary
0.3
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
$28,732
$30–48k
$30,626
$48–75k
$35,166
$75–110k
$33,413
$110k+
$34,800

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
$149,654

$35,166/year × about 4.3 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.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$21,364
average award, among those who get one

Northwest Nazarene University discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $21,364. 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 235 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)
$51,719
Typical debt at graduation
$23,750
Debt vs. one year's pay
46%
Out-earn a HS grad
57%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.6 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
$49,284
Men
$56,015

Men out-earn women by $6,731 (14%) 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
93°F
Winter low
23°F
Annual rain
11″
Annual snow
9.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.71.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Nampa Sugar Factory, ID US station (2.9 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 Northwest Nazarene University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Northwest Nazarene University side by side →

Colleges near Northwest Nazarene University

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.