North Central College
Naperville, Illinois · Private · 2,428 undergraduates · northcentralcollege.edu
Test policy (fall 2027)
Test optional
Sending scores is your choice
Admit rate
77%
of 4,596 applicants
SAT (middle 50%)
1040 to 1310
of enrolled freshmen
Annual cost (2027-28)
$69,440Est.Estimate
before aid
Your chances and merit aid at North Central College
See where you stand for admission, how much merit aid you could get, and what you'd pay after it.
We started you at a typical enrolled freshman here. Move the sliders to match you.
Your admission chances
77% of applicants admitted
Target
Your SAT is inside the range where the middle half of enrolled freshmen scored, and your GPA is in the middle half of freshmen's.
Estimated merit aid
a year
Your cost after merit aid
$69,440
a year in 2027-28, from a $69,440 sticker price
What to do with your 1200
Send your score
Your SAT is at or above the median of freshmen who sent scores (1200).
Reach, target and likely are a rough guide from your test score and how selective the college is. Admissions also weigh your courses, grades, essays and activities. Merit aid figures are estimates, before any need-based aid.
Admissions
Test policy for fall 2027
Test optional
You choose whether to send an SAT or ACT score. If you send one, it's considered.
- Reviews applications as they arrive, so applying early helps.
- Classic Learning Test (CLT) accepted; the first-year application page notes CLT is accepted in lieu of SAT/ACT for Shimer Great Books School applicants.
Source: Test-Optional | North Central College · Checked October 17, 2026
Who gets in
77%
of applicants were admitted: 3,554 of 4,596 for fall 2024.
Test scores of enrolled freshmen (fall 2024)
The shaded part shows the middle half of enrolled freshmen who sent scores: a quarter scored below it and a quarter above. 21% of them sent SAT scores and 6% sent ACT scores.
SAT total 1040 to 1310
Reading and Writing 530 to 650
Math 525 to 660
ACT composite 24 to 29
How enrolled freshmen scored on the SAT
- 1400 to 16003%
- 1200 to 139942%
- 1000 to 119939%
- 800 to 99910%
- 600 to 7996%
- 400 to 5990%
Source: Common Data Set 2024-2025
High school GPA of enrolled freshmen
Average GPA: 3.57
- 4.028%
- 3.75 to 3.9920%
- 3.50 to 3.7416%
- 3.25 to 3.4910%
- 3.00 to 3.2413%
- 2.50 to 2.999.4%
- Below 2.502.8%
Cost and financial aid
The sticker price is what a year costs before any aid. Most students pay less after grants and scholarships.
Sticker price for 2027-28Estimate
$69,440
a year
- Tuition$49,150
- Fees$300
- Food and housing$15,890
- Books and supplies$970
- Transportation and other$3,130
North Central College published $64,208 for 2025-26. Its 2027-28 prices aren't out yet.
Source: Common Data Set 2024-2025
What families actually pay
What a year cost on average after grants and scholarships, for freshmen who got federal aid in 2023-24, by family income.
- $0 to $30,000$19,131
- $30,001 to $48,000$16,416
- $48,001 to $75,000$17,572
- $75,001 to $110,000$21,017
- Over $110,000$29,264
Financial aid
85%
of a student's financial need is covered, on average
$33,719
average need-based grant to freshmen, money you don't repay
27%
of freshmen got merit aid without financial need, $29,314 on average
- FAFSA
- Required for need-based aid. It's the free federal aid form.
- CSS Profile
- Not required. Only the FAFSA is needed.
- Aid priority date: 1/15/2025
- Send your aid forms by this date to be first in line for the college's grant money.
Source: Common Data Set 2024-2025
AP credit
AP exams that earn credit can replace college courses, so you pay for fewer of them and may graduate sooner.
AP exams that earn credit
40 of 40
Earn credit with a score of 3
4 exams
A 3-credit course is worth
about $4,920Est.Estimate
at 2027-28 tuition
Credit for each AP exam
| Exam | Score needed | Credits | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-D Art and Design | 4 | 4 | ARTD 107 |
| 3-D Art and Design | 4 | 4 | ARTD 160 |
| African American Studies | 4 | 4 | HIST 112 |
| Art History | 4 | 4 | ART Elective |
| Biology | 4 | 4 | BIOL Elective |
| Calculus AB | 3 | 4 | MATH 106 |
| Calculus AB | 4 | 4 | MATH 151 |
| Calculus BC | 3 | 4 | MATH 106 and 151 |
| Calculus BC | 4 | 8 | MATH 151 MATH 152 |
| Chemistry | 4 | 4 | CHEM 122 |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 4 | 4 | CHNS 102 |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 5 | 8 | CHNS 102 CHNS 201 |
| Comparative Government and Politics | 4 | 4 | POLS 221 |
| Computer Science A | 4 | 4 | CSCE 160 |
| Computer Science Principles | 4 | 4 | CSCE Elective (100-level) |
| Drawing | 4 | 4 | ARTD 120 |
| English Language and Composition | 4 | 4 | NCCC Elective (satisfies the Composition component of CARD 101) |
| English Literature and Composition | 4 | 6 | ENGL 104 ENGL 106 |
| Environmental Science | 4 | ENVI 106 | |
| European History | 4 | 4 | HIST elective (European, 100-level) |
| French Language and Culture | 4 | 4 | FREN 102 |
| French Language and Culture | 5 | 8 | FREN 102 FREN 201 |
| German Language and Culture | 4 | 4 | GRMN 102 |
| German Language and Culture | 5 | 8 | GRMN 102 GRMN 201 |
| Human Geography | 4 | 4 | SOCI Elective (100-level) |
| Italian Language and Culture | 4 | 4 | LANG Elective (100-level) |
| Italian Language and Culture | 5 | 8 | LANG Elective (100-level) |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 4 | 4 | JAPN 102 |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 5 | 8 | JAPN 102 JAPN 201 |
| Latin | 4 | 4 | LATN 102 |
| Macroeconomics | 3 | 4 | ECON 205 |
| Microeconomics | 3 | 4 | ECON 200 |
| Music Theory | 4 | 4 | MUSI 101 |
| Physics 1 | 4 | 4 | PHYS Elective (100-level) |
| Physics 2 | 4 | 4 | PHYS Elective (100-level) |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 4 | 3 | PHYS Elective (100-level) |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 4 | 4 | PHYS Elective (100-level) |
| Pre-Calculus | 4 | MATH 140 | |
| Psychology | 4 | 4 | PSYC 100 |
| Research | 4 | 4 | NCCC Elective (100-level) |
| Seminar | 4 | 4 | NCCC Elective (100-level) |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 4 | 4 | SPAN 102 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 5 | 8 | SPAN 102 SPAN 201 |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 4 | 4 | SPAN Elective (200-level) |
| Statistics | 4 | 4 | PSYC 250 |
| United States Government and Politics | 4 | 4 | POLS 101 |
| United States History | 4 | 4 | HIST Elective (100-level) |
| World History: Modern | 4 | 4 | HIST 155 |
Source: AP credit policy
After college
Graduate within 6 years
62%
Come back for a second year
77%
Typical earnings
$65,646
a year, 10 years after starting here
- North Central College$64,712
- All colleges$59,032
Median yearly earnings of graduates five years after finishing a bachelor's in this major. 21 majors here have earnings data.
Keep exploring
Figures marked Estimate are our estimates, not numbers the college published. Check each college's own site before you apply. SAT is a trademark of College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Sharp is not affiliated with either, or with North Central College. The North Central College logo is a trademark of the college.