Orange City, Iowa — Another Sioux County institution of higher learning is reporting record fall enrollment.
Northwestern College in Orange City continues to set enrollment records. This fall’s total enrollment is 1,719, up from last year’s 1,675 and representing the sixth consecutive year of records.
This year’s freshman class is the largest since 2010, with 327 full-time first-year students enrolled, compared to 283 last year. Northwestern also continued to set a record in graduate students, with 521 enrolled, up two from 2023.
Northwestern officials tell us the school has 1,135 residential students this fall, including undergraduates and 60 in the master’s program in physician assistant studies. Another 584 are online students in the graduate programs in business, counseling, and education, as well as undergraduate programs in early childhood education, interpreting, and nursing.
This year’s freshman class includes 46 students of color, 14.1%, another record. Total international student enrollment is the highest since at least 2007, with 49 residential undergraduates, according to Northwestern officials.
Fifteen of this year’s first-year students are majoring in Northwestern’s newly launched engineering program.
Northwestern’s vice president for enrollment and marketing Tamara Fynaardt says that they are excited to have another year of record-setting enrollment and to see the largest freshman class in 14 years. She says it’s clear that Northwestern’s success at helping students stand out academically, spiritually and relationally is attractive to new students and their families.
(Courtesy fellow Community First Broadcasting station KSOU in Sioux Center)
