Northwest Nazarene University acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
With an acceptance rate near 65%, Northwest Nazarene University is a moderately selective private college in Idaho. Because it admits more applicants than it rejects, admission turns on the strength of your whole profile rather than any one number.
Use this page to see what Northwest Nazarene University weighs, where it ranks among Idaho schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1150, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at Northwest Nazarene University?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Northwest Nazarene University?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Northwest Nazarene University, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Northwest Nazarene University?
Northwest Nazarene University admits most qualified applicants (around 65%), but that overall rate is not your personal chance. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Northwest Nazarene University in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Northwest Nazarene University hard to get into?
Northwest Nazarene University is moderately selective: it admits more applicants than it rejects, with about a 65% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into Northwest Nazarene University?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Northwest Nazarene University, but admitted students often present roughly a 3.2 to 3.7 GPA. Northwest Nazarene University reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Northwest Nazarene University by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Northwest Nazarene University for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 3 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Northwest Nazarene University with a 3.1 GPA and a 1120 SAT?
About 83% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1120 SAT, the middle of Northwest Nazarene University's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1240 SAT comes out near 96%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/northwest-nazarene-university.
How to get into Northwest Nazarene University
Built from Northwest Nazarene University's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Here is how to get into Northwest Nazarene University, built from what its admitted class actually looks like and what the school says it weighs.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Northwest Nazarene University carries about a 3.29 core GPA and a 1190 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
The admitted middle 50% is 1005 to 1240 SAT (22 to 27 ACT). Submit a score at 1123 or higher; below 1005, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Northwest Nazarene University rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: essays that sound like you and answer the actual prompt, and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
An early application signals interest and gets your file read before the pool fills. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Northwest Nazarene University's exact dates at www.nnu.edu.
How many students apply to Northwest Nazarene University, and how many get in?
For the fall 2023 entering class, Northwest Nazarene University received 3,571 applications and admitted 2,248, an acceptance rate of 63%. 246 enrolled. Only about 11% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. Northwest Nazarene University enrolls about 1,024 undergraduates in total, 56% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 14 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Northwest Nazarene University?
Admitted students at Northwest Nazarene University post SAT scores of 1005 to 1240 in the middle 50%, with an average of 1130. On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 22 to 27. A score above 1240 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1005 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Northwest Nazarene University is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Northwest Nazarene University looks for
What Northwest Nazarene University weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
In its review, Northwest Nazarene University leans most on rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from Northwest Nazarene University's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Northwest Nazarene University
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Northwest Nazarene University cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at Northwest Nazarene University (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $55,163 a year. Tuition and fees alone are $40,794. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $29,580 a year, and it ranges from $28,732 for families earning under $30,000 to $34,800 for families earning over $110,000. 30% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Northwest Nazarene University graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for Northwest Nazarene University students ten years after entry are $51,719 ($45,488 at the six-year mark). 71% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 77% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $23,750; 61% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Northwest Nazarene University compares in Idaho
Northwest Nazarene University ranks #2 most selective of 6 schools in Idaho in our database.
Among the 6 Idaho schools we track, Northwest Nazarene University ranks #2 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like College of Idaho (49%) and University of Idaho (76%) sit nearby, which makes Idaho a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Northwest Nazarene University
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Build around Northwest Nazarene University with peers at a comparable selectivity, such as Bryant University, Sacred Heart University, and University of Dayton. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Northwest Nazarene University's acceptance rate?
Northwest Nazarene University admitted 2,248 of 3,571 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 63% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 11% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Northwest Nazarene University?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1005 to 1240 on the SAT and 22 to 27 on the ACT. A score above 1240 is in the top quarter of admits. Northwest Nazarene University is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Northwest Nazarene University test-optional?
Yes. Northwest Nazarene University reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does Northwest Nazarene University cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Northwest Nazarene University, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $29,580 a year against a sticker price of about $55,163. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $28,732 on average.
What do Northwest Nazarene University graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Northwest Nazarene University are $51,719 a year among students who received federal aid, and 71% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Northwest Nazarene University value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Northwest Nazarene University weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Northwest Nazarene University consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Northwest Nazarene University's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at Northwest Nazarene University?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Northwest Nazarene University specifically.
What are the admission requirements for Northwest Nazarene University?
Northwest Nazarene University reviews GPA, course rigor, test scores (where submitted), activities, and essays. With a more accessible acceptance rate, meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.