Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Carroll College, California Lutheran University, Northwest University. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | CarrollHelena, MT | California LutheranThousand Oaks, CA | Northwest UniversityKirkland, WA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 70.9% | 75.7% | 83.2% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1050–1300 | 1150–1330 | 1040–1350 |
| Average net price | $23,96020.2% on Pell grants | $30,10931.1% on Pell grants | $22,28825.3% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $41,484Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $52,560Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $36,035Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 69.3% | 69.6% | 70.8% |
| First-year retention | 82.0% | 78.8% | 83.9% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 20.2% | 31.1% | 25.3% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $61,772 | $68,712 | $54,914 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $25,757 | $21,669 | $20,891 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 11:1 | 13:1 | 9:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,092 | 2,296 | 645 |
| Consensus percentile | 36Lower is better | 37Lower is better | 37Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 67 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 62 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 47 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Carroll | California Lutheran | Northwest University |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #3 of 104Regional colleges (West)Regional Colleges (West) · 2026 | #12 of 118Regional univ. (West)Regional Universities (West) · 2026 | #43 of 118Regional univ. (West)Regional Universities (West) · 2026 |
| Forbes | Not ranked by this source | #362 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | Not ranked by this source |
| Washington Monthly | #1049 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #494 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #918 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
| Niche | #908 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #812 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #377 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
| QS | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
Students comparing Carroll College on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing California Lutheran University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Northwest University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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