Private Nonprofit · Naperville, Illinois

North Central College

North Central College is a private nonprofit institution in Naperville, Illinois. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.

$60,123
10-yr median earnings
77.3%
Acceptance rate
$21,044
Avg net price / yr
67.7%
150%-time completion

The verdict

North Central College pairs top-quartile former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

Top 15%
former-student earnings, US
77.3%
acceptance rate
67.7%
150%-time completion
+16%
earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Midsize Carnegie: Master's (S)
View my saved schools

Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.

How to read this North Central College profile

Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Master's Colleges & Universities: Small Programs"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.

Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.

Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.

College Value Score

C
College Value Score
57/100
North Central College

A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.

Earnings A-
$60,123
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$21,044
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate B-
67.7%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$24,500
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A
79.6%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention C-
77.1%
First-year students returning for year two
North Central College vs. the national benchmark
EarningsNet PriceCompletionDebtRepaymentRetention

Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.

10-yr median earnings

$60,123

Federal aid recipients only

Avg net price

$21,044

After grants and scholarships

150%-time completion

67.7%

Full-time, first-time cohort

150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 67.7%

Four-year-institution cohort

College ROI Quadrant - North Central College vs peers

North Central College positioned by earnings vs cost Two-by-two quadrant chart: x-axis median earnings 10 years after enrollment, y-axis average net price after financial aid. Each dot is a college, colored by completion within 150% of normal time (garnet ≥65%, amber 45-64%, red <45%). Net price increases upward, earnings increase rightward, so: bottom-right = best value (low cost, high earnings); top-right = premium (high cost, high earnings); bottom-left = community college tier (low cost, modest earnings); top-left = cost challenge (high cost, low earnings). Currently plotting 8 colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard joined to Carnegie Classification. North Central College positioned by earnings… Carnegie Classification: Master's (S) Master's (… COST CHALLENGE PREMIUM COMMUNITY BEST VALUE $34K $87K Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment ($) $10K $52K Avg Net Price ($) North Central College (you are here): $60K earn · $21K net · 68% grad You are here - North Central Coll… Augustana College: $63K earn · $23K net · 76% grad Augustana College Dominican University: $60K earn · $12K net · 59% grad Dominican University Olivet Nazarene University: $53K earn · $21K net · 61% grad Olivet Nazarene Un… Wheaton College: $64K earn · $27K net · 86% grad Wheaton College School of the Art Institute of Chicago: $40K earn · $50K net · 65% grad School of the Art Illinois Institute of Technology: $83K earn · $18K net · 74% grad Benedictine University: $63K earn · $22K net · 51% grad Grad rate (4yr) ≥65% 45-64% <45%
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.

How North Central College ranks nationally

Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.

North Central College: former-student earnings vs. every US college

10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$60,123 Top 15% higher than 85% of 5,103 US colleges

$0–$20,000: 169 US colleges (3%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 2,245 US colleges (44%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 1,897 US colleges (37%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 606 US colleges (12%). This entry sits in this band. $80,000–$100,000: 134 US colleges (3%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 39 US colleges (1%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 11 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 2 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. This college $0 $160,000 every US college, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Metric North Central College National rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $60,123 #790 of 5103 85th
Average net price $21,044 #3297 of 5020 34th (lower is better)
150%-time completion 67.7% #1608 of 4858 67th
Undergraduate enrollment 2,428 #1301 of 5462 76th

National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.

Quick Facts

2,428
Undergraduate enrollment
77.3%
Acceptance rate
1,213
SAT average
67.7%
150%-time completion
$60,123
10-yr median earnings
77.1%
First-year retention

How North Central College ranks in Illinois

State rank among 189 reporting Illinois colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.

Metric North Central College State rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $60,123 #31 of 189 84th
Average net price $21,044 #130 of 179 27th (lower is better)
150%-time completion 67.7% #45 of 171 74th
Undergraduate enrollment 2,428 #55 of 201 73rd

Highest former-student earnings in Illinois

#School10-yr earningsNet price
1Chamberlain University-Illinois$92,405$31,837
2University of Chicago$91,885$14,860
3Northwestern University$89,363$29,167
4St. John's College$86,331-
5Lakeview College of Nursing$84,522-
6Illinois Institute of Technology$82,592$18,425
7University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$81,054$14,355
8Saint Anthony College of Nursing$77,709-
9Rush University$75,194-
10Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing$72,850-
11Blessing Rieman College of Nursing and Health Sciences$72,430-
12Loyola University Chicago$71,530$36,079
31North Central CollegeThis school$60,123$21,044

Admissions

Admission Rate 77.3%
SAT Average 1,213
SAT Math (25th-75th) 525 – 660
SAT Reading (25th-75th) 530 – 650
ACT Average 25
ACT (25th-75th) 24 – 29
0%100%77.3%
Share of applicants admitted

Costs & Financial Aid

Net price by family income at North Central College

Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket

net price / yr

What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at North Central College - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Tuition & Net Price

In-State Tuition $45,726
Out-of-State Tuition $45,726
Average Net Price $21,044
23.9%
Pell Grant Rate
48.0%
Federal Loan Rate
$24,500
Median Debt
$260/mo
Monthly Payment

Net price at North Central College swings rather than trends

Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $21,737 to $25,605 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as +6.0%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.

Lowest year
$21,737
Highest year
$25,605
Most recent (2023)
$23,033
Average net price, 2013–2023

11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

2013: $21,7372014: $22,3362015: $22,6272016: $23,1532017: $24,2312018: $23,5992019: $24,7862020: $25,1992021: $25,6052022: $23,4392023: $23,033
2013 · $21,7372023 · $23,033

Over the same years, enrollment went -12.6% (2,700 → 2,360 students).

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.

Student Demographics

Race & ethnicity

Student body at a glance

53.9%
Female
26.6%
First Generation

Outcomes

77.1%
Retention Rate
$51,762
Median Earnings (6yr)
71.3%
Earning Over $25K
79.6%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)

Outcomes & debt snapshot

Measure Cohort / horizon Value
Completion within 150% of normal time First-time, full-time 67.7%
First-year retention First-time, full-time freshmen 77.1%
Median earnings 6 years after entry $51,762
Median earnings 10 years after entry $60,123
Share earning over $25,000 Working, not enrolled 71.3%
Loan repayment rate Completers, 3 years after leaving 79.6%
Median federal student debt At completion $24,500
Estimated monthly payment Standard 10-year plan $260/mo

Programs & Earnings

Field-of-study summary by credential

Credential Programs Award count Avg earnings Top earnings Avg debt
Bachelor's 30 544 $63,669 $105,350 $24,361
Master's 3 73 $85,830 $102,600 $31,918

Top programs at North Central College by completer earnings

Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file

median earnings

What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Program Credential Completers Median Earnings Median Debt
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods Bachelor's 5 $105,350 $27,000
Business Administration, Management and Operations Master's 41 $102,600 $31,918
Educational Administration and Supervision Master's 31 $89,044 -
Finance and Financial Management Services Bachelor's 31 $81,562 $27,000
Economics Bachelor's 15 $80,494 $26,801
Computer Science Bachelor's 19 $79,877 $26,228
Accounting and Related Services Bachelor's 37 $78,125 $21,166
Human Resources Management and Services Bachelor's 10 $71,555 $18,384
Marketing Bachelor's 43 $71,123 $20,484
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Bachelor's 12 $68,750 -
Business Administration, Management and Operations Bachelor's 33 $65,992 $21,500
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Master's 1 $65,846 -
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Bachelor's 8 $60,573 $20,649
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness Bachelor's 42 $60,018 $25,000
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics Bachelor's 9 $57,424 -

Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the acceptance rate at North Central College?
North Central College is a private nonprofit institution in Naperville, Illinois. The acceptance rate is 77.3%. The average SAT score is 1,213. Undergraduate enrollment is 2,428 students.
How much do North Central College former students earn?
Federally aided former students at North Central College who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $60,123 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $51,762.
How much does North Central College cost?
The average net price at North Central College is $21,044. In-state tuition is $45,726 and out-of-state tuition is $45,726. Median student debt at graduation is $24,500.
What is the graduation rate at North Central College?
North Central College has a 67.7% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 77.1%.
Is North Central College worth the student debt?
The median student debt at North Central College is $24,500, while former students earn a median of $60,123 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 41% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 79.6% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $260.

Sources & methodology

Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.

Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Where to go next from North Central College

Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.