U.S. News & World Report, 2024: Nebraska's #1 independent regional university

Best independent Master's university

Washington Monthly, 2023

Nebraska Wesleyan University has a tradition of

Academic Excellence

13:1

student-to-faculty ratio

100%

of classes taught by professors not grad students

100%

of students do internships, research, service learning or study abroad

Female chemistry student pouring green liquid into small beaker

85% medical school

acceptance rate that doubles the national average

Actor on his knees singing on stage backlit with other performers in the background

#1 for the performing arts

among Nebraska independent colleges
 – Niche.com, 2021

Male student teacher in front of a class

1,250+ education alumni

are currently teaching in Nebraska

Female student looking through microscope.

91% dental school

acceptance rate

Female intern sits across male administrator at a conference table.

#1 for sport management

among Nebraska independent colleges
– Niche.com, 2021

Male student talks to visiting business professionals at the Backpack-to-Briefcase professional networking event.

#1 for business

among Nebraska independent colleges
– Niche.com, 2021

Nebraska Wesleyan University by the numbers

NWU in Lincoln enrolls traditional undergraduate students from across the country and the world. Students thrive at our close-knit, supportive campus in a vibrant city full of career opportunities. (source: 2020 data)

82%

acceptance rate

77%

second-year retention rate

88%

of NWU students graduate in four years or less

NCAA Division III Athletics

We are P-Wolf Nation

Caitlin Navratil dribbling during a home basketball game.

12th in U.S.

CoSIDA Academic All-Americans

Andy Vasquez ('20) leading the pack in a cross country race.

3rd in NCAA III

Postgraduate Scholarships

A male swimmer doing the breast stroke with a crowd of onlookers cheering him on the side of the pool behind him.

Only NCAA III University

in Nebraska

Everyone offered admission receives a Nebraska Wesleyan scholarship.

We make our education affordable

98%

receive financial aid

$15M

in aid distributed last year

3.8%

Student load default rate
(national average is 11.5%)

Our campus community is inclusive.

Everyone is welcome here

A group of students holding hands and smiling broadly.

#1 independent college

in Nebraska for student life
– Niche.com, 2021

Two students walk in front of another group of students in downtown Lincoln.

1,700 students

make NWU the right-sized school in Lincoln for traditional, adult and graduate students

STEM club members standing in a large group.

70+ student groups

mean there's something for everyone

Photo of Old Main dated as 1889

Our history

For more than 130 years, Nebraska Wesleyan University has been a destination for scholars across Nebraska and the globe seeking academic excellence in education and experiential learning. Come along with us as we take a journey through the years in pictures.
 

NWU through the years