A moderately selective institution, which means 80 percent of students must, on average, meet admission standards; Northwest is one of four such institutions in Missouri.
Offers 104 undergraduate majors and 87 minors within its bachelor degree programs, 34 master's degree programs, seven certificate programs and three specialist programs.
Northwest's student loan default rate is 1.6%, compared to the Missouri average of 1.3% and national average of 2.3%
57.5% graduation rate, which is in the 89th percentile of Northwest's national peer group
Average class size of 27 with a 19-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio
78% of Northwest classes have fewer than 30 students, 44% have fewer than 20
241 full-time faculty members
95% of tenure and tenure-track faculty have the highest degree in their field
100% of classes taught by professionals, not graduate assistants
90% of Northwest’s regular courses are web enhanced
Laptops and textbooks are included in tuition at Northwest, ensuring all students have access to the tools they need to be successful in the classroom. Northwest launched its textbook rental program in 1922 and the laptop rental program in 2005; the programs save students nearly $6,800 during their four-year academic career.
Student Life
80% of Northwest students report they would repeat their Northwest experience, compared to 77% of students surveyed nationally at their respective institutions, according to results of the 2023 Ruffalo Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory.
41% of students live on campus
More than half of students actively participate in one or more of Northwest’s 150-plus student organizations
Men’s varsity sports: basketball, baseball, cross country, football, tennis, and track and field
Women’s varsity sports: basketball, cross country, golf, softball, soccer, tennis, track and field, and volleyball
79% Student-Athlete Academic Success Rate
60% Student-Athlete Graduation Rate
3.2 grade-point average among all student-athletes
Led MIAA in 2016 with 112 Northwest student-athletes receiving Division II Athletics Directors Association Academic Achievement Award for earning a cumulative 3.5 grade-point average or higher for at least two years.
Two Northwest men's basketball players have received the Bevo Francis Award, declaring them the top player in all of small college basketball, Justin Pitts in 2016-17 and Trevor Hudgins in 2021-22.
With football national championships in 1998, 1999, 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2016 , Northwest holds the record for most national championships of any Division II football program; Northwest also is a four-time national runner-up in football (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008).
2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022 NCAA Division II men's basketball national champions; Northwest is the first Division II program to win three consecutive national championships in men's basketball. (The tournament was not played in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)
In 2016-17, Northwest became the first Division II institution to win national championships in football and men's basketball in the same academic year.
20 individual national champions in indoor and outdoor track and field
Women's basketball team advanced to the 2011 NCAA Division II Final Four
2010, 2012 and 2013 Universal Cheerleaders Association national champions
Alumni
More than 80,000 alumni and friends
The Northwest Foundation awarded a record $1.5 million in financial assistance through 1,467 scholarships during FY23.
Northwest Foundation concluded FY21, its 50th anniversary, with the closure of its seven-year Forever Green campaign, which raised more than $55 million and exceeded its $45 million goal.
The Office of University Advancement is a two-time recipient, in 2017 and 2018, of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Educational Fundraising Award, presented to superior fundraising programs at educational institutions across the country.
The Foundation’s total assets under management are valued at about $45.5 million, while its endowment stands at about $34.3 million.
Prominent alumni include Jean Jennings Bartik, who helped program the world's first electronic computer.
Northwest is nationally competitive in a variety of academic fields, having received multiple national awards and championships in forensics, business education, radio broadcasting and journalism, and agricultural sciences.
2018 recipient of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ Christa McAuliffe Excellence in Teacher Education Award. Northwest, which also earned the McAuliffe Award in 2006, is just the third institution in the nation to earn the award two times since its inception in 2002.
Winner of American Association of State Colleges and Universities Excellence and Innovation Awards in 2021 for Campus Pandemic Response, 2019 for Student Success and College Completion, in 2017 for Sustainability and Sustainable Development and in 2015 for International Education.
School of Business ranked among top 100 business schools by NerdWallet.com.
Named Military Friendly School by Victory Media for 13 consecutive years, representing the top 20 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country for delivering the best experience for military students.
In 1987, Northwest became known as "The Electronic Campus" by implementing the first comprehensive networked campus in the nation at a public university.
The Horace Mann Laboratory School and the Phyllis and Richard Leet Center for Children and Families provide a clinical experience for pre-service teachers and a diverse and interactive learning environment for children ages three through sixth grade. The International Association of Laboratory Schools recognized the schools in 2021 with its award for outstanding laboratory schools.
The School of Agricultural Sciences offers students hands-on experience at its 448-acre R.T. Wright Farm, which is home to beef, swine, dairy, poultry and sheep herds, as well as row, silage and hay crops. Students also gain experience at the campus orchard, Horticulture Complex, a composting facility and on the campus grounds as the Missouri State Arboretum.
The School of Communication and Mass Media offers students profession-based experience through two campus radio stations, a campus TV station, a semi-independent broadcast production company, and award-winning student publications including a newspaper, yearbook and online magazine. Both the Tower yearbook, an 13-time Pacemaker recipient, and The Northwest Missourian, a two-time Pacemaker recipient, are members of the Associated Collegiate Press Hall of Fame.
