Northwest Nazarene University

What Northwest Nazarene University does

Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) is a private, nonprofit Christian liberal arts university founded in 1930 and headquartered on a 90-acre campus in Nampa, Idaho, accredited continuously by the Northwest Commission on Colleges & Universities and (for theological programs) by the Association of Theological Schools. The institution delivers a multi-modal educational portfolio across five distinct operating units: a traditional residential undergraduate program spanning 80+ areas of study with a 15:1 student-faculty ratio; graduate and professional studies offering Master's, Doctoral, and Education Specialist degrees; the fully online Northwest Nazarene Divinity School offering M.Div., M.A., and Th.D. programs; NNU eCampus, an accelerated 92-credit online bachelor's portfolio (Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, Social Work, Sport Management) priced at $450/credit with no fees and 18-month completion pathways; and the Center for Professional Development delivering 250+ online courses annually to K-12 educators, business professionals, and counselors. Concurrent Credit extends university-level courses to high school partners at $75/credit.

The university makes money primarily through semester-billed undergraduate tuition ($21,215/semester block rate, $42,430 annually) at an annual cost of attendance of $55,812, supplemented by financial aid averaging over $23,000 per incoming student, meal-plan and residential revenue, graduate and divinity tuition, eCampus per-credit revenue, professional development course revenue, donations, and external research grants. Its go-to-market blends admissions-counselor-led traditional recruitment (driven by events, virtual tours, and high school counselor networks) with self-serve online enrollment for eCampus and the Center for Professional Development. The institution also pursues applied research — most notably the Robotics Vision Lab's OrBot robotic harvesting system (dual-camera computer vision, field-validated at Symms Fruit Ranch) and pyroecoinformatics contributions to a multi-institutional NSF/USFS wildfire research program — and has expanded into semiconductor/microelectronics workforce development via the National Network for Microelectronics Education.

NNU was historically overseen by Joel Pearsall and is currently led by its 14th president, Dr. Mark DeMichael, inaugurated October 9, 2025. The leadership team includes Vice President for Enrollment Management Stacey Berggren, Associate Vice President for eCampus Christa Sandidge, Dean of Theology Brent Peterson, and a deep admissions, financial aid, and divinity/campus-ministries bench supporting a distributed, multi-segment operating model.

Name

Northwest Nazarene University

Legal name

Northwest Nazarene University

Website

https://nnu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1930

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Northwest Nazarene University is a private Christian liberal arts university in Nampa, Idaho offering residential undergraduate, graduate, online accelerated (eCampus), divinity, and professional development programs to traditional students, working adults, K-12 educators, and ministry leaders across the Northwest and online globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary) (EDAHABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online Divisions of Traditional Universities (Hybrid/Extension) (EDAHALAB), Professional & Executive Short Courses (Non-Degree, International) (EDAIAIAH)

Keywords

• Liberal arts education
• Online degree programs
• Graduate theological education
• Professional development courses
• Concurrent credit program

Headquarters

HQ city

Nampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Undergraduate Tuition: Block rate tuition for 12-18 semester credits at $21,215 per semester ($42,430 annually). Part-time students pay $1,928 per credit. Traditional semester-based billing with Fall and Spring terms.
2. eCampus Online Programs: Accelerated online bachelor's degrees at $450 per credit with no fees. 92-credit pathway programs in Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, Social Work, and Sport Management. Stackable certificates along degree pathway.
3. Graduate & Professional Studies Tuition: Graduate degree programs including MBA, M.Ed., MSW, M.Div., and doctoral programs. Professional development courses and certificates through Center for Professional Development.
4. Concurrent Credit Program: University-level credits for pre-college students taught at high schools by NNU-approved instructors. Tuition at $75 per credit.
5. Professional Development Courses: Over 250 online courses annually for K-12 educators, business professionals, and counseling professionals through the Center for Professional Development. Offerings include recertification credits, teaching endorsements, and leadership training.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Northwest Nazarene University is a private Christian university delivering residential undergraduate education across 80+ areas of study, graduate and professional degrees, fully online accelerated bachelor's degrees through NNU eCampus, graduate theological degrees through the Northwest Nazarene Divinity School, and online continuing-education courses through its Center for Professional Development. It also sells university-level credits to high school students via its Concurrent Credit program. Educational delivery is supported by a Canvas LMS, an institutional student portal (MyNNU), and applied research programs in robotics vision and data science.

Product overview

Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) is a Christian university in Nampa, Idaho offering a multi-modal educational portfolio: traditional on-campus undergraduate programs (80+ areas of study, avg. 15-student class sizes), graduate and professional degrees (Master's, Doctoral, Education Specialist), the fully online NNU eCampus with accelerated 92-credit Bachelor's pathways ($450/credit, 18-month completion option), the Northwest Nazarene Divinity School for theological degrees (online M.Div., M.A., Th.D.), the Center for Professional Development (250+ courses for educators and businesses), and Concurrent Credit for high school students. The institution serves traditional residential students and online adult learners globally, with recent additions including a Semiconductor Engineering Certificate and participation in the National Network for Microelectronics Education (NNME).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NNU eCampus: Accelerated online bachelor's degree programs for adult learners, offering Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, Social Work, and Sport Management programs at $450 per credit with 92-credit pathways.
• Northwest Nazarene Divinity School
• Center for Professional Development

Products and services

• Traditional Undergraduate Programs Residential undergraduate degree programs across 80+ areas of study including arts, sciences, business, education, engineering, nursing, and theology, with average class size of 15 students and emphasis on mentorship and spiritual formation; priced at $21,215 per semester (block rate 12-18 credits).
• NNU eCampus Accelerated Online Bachelor's Degrees Accelerated 100% online bachelor's degree programs for adult learners featuring 92-credit pathways (versus the traditional 124 credits), 4-credit course structure, stackable certificates, rolling start dates, $450/credit with no fees, and as-fast-as 18-month completion. Programs offered: Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, Social Work, and Sport Management & Coaching.
• Graduate and Professional Studies Degrees Advanced degree and certificate programs for working adults including Master's degrees (MBA, M.Ed., MS in Nursing, MSW, MA in pastoral/ministry tracks), Doctoral degrees (Ed.D., Ph.D., Psy.D., Th.D.), and Education Specialist degrees, with flexible online/in-person delivery options.
• Northwest Nazarene Divinity School (Online Theological Degrees) Fully online theological education offering Master of Divinity (75 semester hours), Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry (40 credits), Master of Arts in Leadership & Formation (36 credits, specializations in Missional Leadership, Spiritual Formation, and Youth, Children & Family Ministry), Doctorado en Teología (Th.D.), and graduate certificates in chaplaincy, missional leadership, spiritual formation, Wesleyan studies, and youth/children/family ministry. ATS-accredited.
• Center for Professional Development (Continuing Education) Online professional development courses for K-12 educators (recertification credits, teaching endorsements), business professionals (leadership training, professional development), and counseling professionals (continuing education). Over 250 courses per year delivered through the PDLearn portal.
• Concurrent Credit Program University-level credit program for pre-college high school students taught at local high schools by NNU-approved instructors, costing $75 per credit with no admission fee, allowing high-achieving students to earn university credits while still in high school.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of NNU undergraduates get jobs in their field within six months for education, engineering, computer science and nursing
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Symms Fruit RanchminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2026Idaho commercial orchard partner for field testing NNU's OrBot robotic apple harvesting system. Outdoor commercial orchard tests conducted at facility achieved 75-80% success rate.
• U.S. Forest ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2026U.S. Forest Service provides approximately $350,000 in funding under a five-year agreement supporting collaboration with the USFS Fuels Academy program. NNU provides computational tools and data science to improve prescribed fire and managed wildfire practices.
• Boise State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2025NNU participates in $4 million NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program led by Boise State. Multi-institutional collaboration investigating prescribed burns and managed wildfires as solutions to the western U.S. wildfire crisis. NNU provides pyroecoinformatics support using data science and computational tools.
• University of New MexicocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2025Partner in $4 million multi-institutional NSF research project studying hydrological, ecological, economic, and social dimensions of managed fire to develop tools for fire managers across the western United States.
• University of OklahomacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2025Partner in multi-institutional wildfire research collaboration studying prescribed burns and managed wildfires as mitigation options for the western U.S. wildfire crisis.
• Navajo Technical UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2025Partner in multi-institutional wildfire research project investigating prescribed burns and managed fires as solutions to the western U.S. wildfire crisis.
• U.S. Geological SurveyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2025Partner in multi-institutional research collaboration studying prescribed burns and managed wildfires. USGS provides scientific expertise for fire management research.
• Fire Science Exchange NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2025Partner in wildfire research collaboration providing expertise and resources for fire science exchange and knowledge dissemination.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Southern New Hampshire University: One of the largest online universities in the U.S., competing with NNU eCampus for adult undergraduates at scale, with a much broader program catalog and larger marketing footprint.
• Western Governors University: Large-scale nonprofit online university serving working adults with competency-based programs; the most direct scaled competitor to NNU eCampus in the adult-learner segment.

Direct peers

• Wheaton College: Well-known private evangelical Christian liberal arts university with comparable faith-based mission, small class sizes, and undergraduate/graduate portfolio; benchmark for outcomes and pricing power.
• Indiana Wesleyan University: Large evangelical Christian university with a major online adult-learner program (IWU Online) directly comparable to NNU eCampus in target audience and pricing model.
• Oral Roberts University: Private Pentecostal/charismatic Christian university with residential and online programs, comparable tuition-aid model, and faith-based differentiation in the higher-ed market.
• Azusa Pacific University: Private evangelical Christian university offering undergraduate, graduate, and online programs with similar mission-driven positioning and tuition-aid strategy.
• College of Idaho: Private liberal arts college in Caldwell, Idaho (adjacent to Nampa) with similar size, tuition model, and outcomes-driven positioning; competes head-to-head for regional students.
• Seattle Pacific University: Private Christian liberal arts university in the Pacific Northwest with comparable size, faith-based mission, undergraduate/graduate offerings, and tuition-aid positioning; closest geographic and theological analog.
• George Fox University: Oregon-based private Christian university offering residential undergraduate, graduate, and online programs with similar affordability-aid strategy and Nazarene-adjacent evangelical identity.

Regional players

• Boise State University: Idaho's flagship public research university and NNU's primary local competitor for students, faculty, and research dollars; co-partner with NNU on the NSF EPSCoR wildfire grant.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nwnazarene
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@nwnazarene
• Facebookfacebook.com/7401923021
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northwest-nazarene-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/nwnazarene
• TikToktiktok.com/@nwnazarene

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Northwest Nazarene University