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North Central College At-A-Glance

A Close-knit Community Offering Outsized Opportunity

Founded in 1861, North Central College is a nationally ranked institution located 28 miles west of Chicago, in the heart of a tree-lined historic district and just steps from downtown Naperville, the fourth largest city in Illinois.

Offering a dynamic academic experience with a strong liberal arts core, North Central is a place that fosters curiosity, nurtures relationships, challenges ideas and assumptions, values service to others, and encourages discovery of passion and purpose alongside preparation for a future profession. 

Areas of distinction include: 

  • ABET-accredited undergraduate programs in computer, electrical and mechanical engineering.
  • Robust undergraduate research opportunities, providing hands-on experience and guidance from faculty mentors on prestigious federally funded projects. 
  • The Center for Financial Literacy, which helps students — regardless of major — understand how to manage their personal finances. 
  • A suite of graduate-level advanced clinical practice programs that prepare students to enter the healthcare workforce.

Accolades

Join the Cardinal family!

North Central College provides students with the confidence, instruction and direction they need to exceed their personal bests inside and outside the classroom and throughout their careers. Founded in 1861 and located just 28 miles west of Chicago in the Historic District of Naperville, Ill. — named among the nation’s “Best Places to Live” by Money magazine — North Central is home to nearly 2,900 students and offers more than 90 undergraduate majors, 67 additional undergraduate minors and concentrations, and 29 graduate degree and certificate programs.


Location

We may be biased, but we think North Central College’s location is ideal for college students. With a population of a nearly 150,000, Naperville is ranked as the “Best City to Live in America” (Niche 2024) and is among the “Safest Cities in America” (MoneyGeek, 2002 and 2023). Our campus is a certified arboretum with more than 100 different species of trees on campus, our neighborhood is filled with beautiful homes, and students love the fact that Downtown Naperville is just two blocks away.  

  • Take an easy walk to more than 150 restaurants, shops and cafes, many of which offer discounts to our students.
  • Our riverfront campus offers 2 miles of brick paths, fountains and scenic study spots along the Naperville Riverwalk.
  • If you’re looking for a global experience without having to travel, Naperville has restaurants, markets, festivals and entertainment from various cultures including Vietnamese, Chinese, Italian, Irish, German, Mexican, Burmese, Indian, Middle Eastern, Greek, Argentinian, Spanish, Peruvian, and Japanese. 
  • Wanting to experience Chicago’s world-renowned architecture, museums, music and theatre scenes, professional sports teams, internships, nightlife and food? Hop on the Metra train two blocks from campus and you will be in one of the world’s most iconic cities in 30 minutes!
Naperville riverwalk

Student Population


Academic Degrees

  • Bachelor of Arts
  • Bachelor of Science
  • Bachelor of Business Administration
  • Bachelor of Music Education
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts
  • Master’s Degrees in 19 areas
  • Doctor of Physical Therapy
  • Occupational Therapy Doctorate
  • Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate

Tuition and Fees

2023-2024

Tuition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $44,114

Housing and Food. . . . . . . . . . $14,444

Fees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $280

Financial Aid and Scholarships

100 percent of new students receive scholarships or grants. Renewable merit-based scholarships are available for academics and talent in fine arts. For more information, visit norwoodbariatric.com/tuition-aid.

Calendar

The College’s academic calendar consists of two 18-week semesters, a May term and a summer session.


Faculty & Staff


Unique Academic Opportunities

North Central College offers students unique opportunities to practice intellectual and personal leadership and create experiences that will help define their futures:

Student behind the scenes at the WONC radio station

International Study

North Central College has exchange partnerships with universities in Australia, England, France, Germany, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and Taiwan. Students may also select one of North Central College’s direct enrollment programs in Australia, Botswana, Chile, China, England, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Malta, New Zealand, Scotland or Spain. Students may participate in an education abroad program for a semester and/or an academic year. In addition, there are three semester group programs abroad in China/Japan, Costa Rica and England. Twenty-five of the education abroad programs allow students to conduct research, participate in an internship, volunteer or complete a practicum in their degree field.

The College also offers Cardinal Destination Courses Abroad (CDCA) which include a short-term international travel component in May Term in countries such as China, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Ireland, Japan, Morocco and Spain.

Student in the Scottish Highlands

Athletics

North Central College student-athletes compete in 26 intercollegiate sports (13 for men and 13 for women) in NCAA Division III and the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW). North Central College has won 44 team national championships, 152 individual and relay national championships, and 246 CCIW championships. Student-athletes have earned 1,340 All-America awards and 914 national academic awards.


Performing Arts Opportunities

North Central offers several ensembles for music students and students of all majors, including:

  • Concert Choir
  • Chamber Singers
  • Women’s Chorale
  • Cardinal Chorus
  • Opera Workshop
  • Naperville Chorus
  • Concert Winds
  • Symphony Band
  • Percussion Ensemble
  • Flute Choir
  • Clarinet Choir
  • Brass Quintet
  • Woodwind Quintet
  • Chamber String Ensemble
  • Big Band
  • Vocal Jazz Ensemble
  • Jazz Combos
  • Cardinal Athletic Band

Our state-of-the-art performance venues include:

  • 617-seat Wentz Concert Hall
  • 150-seat Madden Theatre
  • 239-seat theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall
  • 1,057-seat Pfeiffer Hall
  • 150-seat Koten Chapel
Wentz Concert Hall

Activities

Students may choose from more than 100 active clubs, special interest organizations, student government boards and preprofessional groups.

They may focus on:

  • Academics
  • Community service and social action
  • Faith and spiritual life
  • Honor societies
  • Intercultural
  • Leadership
  • Media and publications
  • Music, art and activities
  • Sports and recreation
Students posing in front of foam machine

Oesterle Library and Learning Commons

Newly renovated in 2022, Oesterle Library and Learning Commons offers students and faculty ready access to more than 40 million items from 85 college and university libraries in Illinois in addition to more than 250,000 items in our collections, and electronic access to a wide-ranging array of full-text documents.

Students studying at the library

Alumni

From the first graduating class in 1866 to today, North Central College’s alumni have taken their commitment to reform and improve the world far beyond Naperville. Among the notable accomplishments of our alumni: discovering a synthetic form of the antibiotic chloromycetin, performing on Broadway, serving as the United States Supreme Court law clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas, gaining recognition twice as the Illinois Teacher of the Year, earning the title of COO, CEO and CFO of major corporations, becoming one of the first minority owners of a professional sports team, and winning an Olympic Gold medal.

Ranked among the top “Grateful Grad Colleges” by Forbes, North Central College has more than 18,000 alumni living in and around the Chicagoland area, more than 35,000 worldwide and has an alumni donor participation rate of 18 percent—one of the highest in the region. 

Alumni posing for a photo

Sustainability

At North Central College, sustainability is the collective effort of students, faculty, staff and visitors working toward the development of a socially just, environmentally responsible and economically functional campus community. Successful projects include solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, solar thermal panels, energy storage systems, geothermal heat pumps, the Community Garden, food scrap composting, the Cardinal Red Bike Program, electric vehicle charging stations, LED lighting, recycling initiatives and much more. North Central College is one of the first colleges to achieve Gold Status through the Illinois Campus Sustainability Compact, which acknowledges North Central as one of the most environmentally responsible colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. In January 2020, North Central was upgraded to a Level II-accredited arboretum for implementing professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens. 


Rental Facilities

North Central College facilities are available to external groups, including state-of-the-art classrooms, corporate reception spaces, athletic facilities, performance and lecture venues, wedding ceremony spaces, and air-conditioned residence halls. A variety of summer camps are offered by the College, including athletic, educational and fine arts programs. North Central also offers a unique housing program for summer interns, featuring apartment-style suites.

Accreditation

North Central College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, 230 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500, Chicago, IL 60604-1411. Phone: 800-621-7440.