North Central College - Naperville, IL

At A Glance

Founded in 1861, North Central College is an independent, comprehensive college of the liberal arts and sciences that offers more than 55 undergraduate majors and graduate programming in seven areas. North Central College is committed to academic excellence; a climate that emphasizes leadership, ethics, values and service; a curriculum that balances job-related knowledge with a liberal arts foundation; and a caring environment with small classes.

Accolades

  • One of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report
  • One of the “Great Colleges To Work For 2012” by the Chronicle of Higher Education
  • One of Princeton Review’s “Best in the Midwest” Colleges
  • One of Forbes magazine’s “America’s Top Colleges”
  • Top 15 percent in “2012-2013 PayScale College Salary Report”
  • A “Military-Friendly School 2013” by G.I. Jobs Magazine
  • One of the colleges ranked in “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition”
  • A 2012-2013 “College of Distinction”

Location

The 65-acre campus is located in the city of Naperville’s beautiful residential Historic District. With a population of more than 140,000, Naperville—rated by Money Magazine as among the nation’s “Best Places to Live,” is the anchor of the research and development corridor along I-88, near Argonne National Laboratory on the east and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory on the west. The campus is just a 30-minute ride on the Metra train from Chicago’s Loop and the economic, social and cultural opportunities available in the nation’s third-largest metropolitan area.

Academic Degrees

  • Bachelor of Arts
  • Bachelor of Science
  • Master’s degrees in seven areas

Tuition and Fees

Tuition ........................ $30,891
Room and Board ............ $8,883
Fees ........................... $180

Financial Aid and Scholarships

Ninety-nine percent of first-year undergraduates receive financial assistance. Renewable merit-based scholarships are available for academics and talent in fine arts. For more information, visit northcentralcollege.edu/financial-aid.

Calendar

The College’s academic calendar consists of three 10 ½-week terms, a summer session and D-Term—a three-week session in December.

Faculty

North Central College’s faculty is distinguished for its teaching. A distinctive professional term and faculty development grants encourage continued research and professional growth for faculty who regularly publish numerous articles and books but whose primary mission is teaching.

  • 141 full time (102 tenure track); 29 half time
  • 97% of tenure-track faculty hold Ph.D. or terminal degree in field
  • 70% of courses taught by full-time faculty
  • No teaching assistants
  • Average class size 21
  • Student/faculty ratio 15:1

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 as the Illinois Teacher of the Year, being crowned Miss Illinois, becoming one of the first minority owners of a professional sports team, and winning an Olympic Gold medal. North Central College has more than 14,000 alumni living in the Chicagoland area and has an alumni donor participation rate of 22 percent—one of the highest in the region. To learn more, visit northcentralcollege.edu/alumni.

International Study

Approximately 125 students participate in long-term study abroad each year. Study abroad opportunities include programs in China/Japan, Costa Rica and England as well as exchanges with schools in Australia, England, France, Greece, Japan, Kenya, Northern Ireland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan and Turkey. Students may also directly enroll in programs in Australia, China, England, Germany, Ghana, India, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Peru, Scotland, Singapore and Spain. An additional 135 students take advantage of short-term study abroad opportunities during D-Term.

Activities

Students may choose from more than 60 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

Fine and Performing Arts and Cultural Events

Each year, North Central College hosts more than 500 fine and performing arts performances in our state-of-the-art venues. World-renowned artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Colbie Caillat and Bernadette Peters have graced our stages. Our performance venues include:

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

For a full season lineup, visit northcentralcollege.edu/show. In addition, the College has hosted Pulitzer Prize winners, best-selling authors and expert commentators on the issues of our times.

 

Athletics

North Central College student-athletes compete in 22 intercollegiate sports (11 for men and 11 for women) in NCAA Division III and the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin. North Central College has won 30 team national championships and 115 individual national championships. Varsity athletic teams include:

  • Baseball (M)
  • Basketball (M,W)
  • Cross Country (M,W)
  • Football (M)
  • Golf (M,W)
  • Lacrosse (W)
  • Soccer (M,W)
  • Softball (W)
  • Swimming (M,W)
  • Tennis (M,W)
  • Track and Field - indoor and outdoor (M,W)
  • Volleyball (W)
  • Wrestling (M)

To learn more about Cardinal athletics, visit northcentralcardinals.com.

Financial Strength

The College’s annual operating budget, including student financial aid, for 2011-2012 was $96.5 million. The 2011-2012 fiscal year was the 41st consecutive year to conclude with a balanced budget. As of September 30, 2012, North Central College’s endowment was $95.7 million ($102.1 million when charitable trusts and similar funds were included). The College publishes its annual report every December. To view a copy, visit northcentralcollege.edu/content/financial-statements.

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 the LEED Silver-certified Residence Hall/Recreation Center, Community Garden, Kaufman Dining Hall Composting project, Cardinal Red Bike Program, annual No Waste Picnic, many recycling initiatives and much more. North Central College is one of the first colleges to seek Gold Status through the Illinois Campus Sustainability Compact and is included in “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges,” which acknowledges North Central as one of the most environmentally responsible colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. To learn more about the College’s sustainability initiatives, visit northcentralcollege.edu/content/sustainability-central.

Library

Oesterle Library offers students and faculty ready access to more than 37 million items from 71 college and university libraries in Illinois in addition to more than 190,000 volumes in its collection and more than 3,400 journal titles.

Accreditation

North Central College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, 30 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60602-2504. Phone: 800-621-7440

Community Education, Summer Camps & Conferences

Courses and programs are offered to the community in business and professional development, computers, languages and fine arts. All courses are noncredit unless otherwise specified. A variety of summer camps, including musical theatre productions, are also available. North Central College facilities are also available for outside use. State-of-the-art classrooms, athletic facilities, performance and lecture venues, wedding and reception spaces, air-conditioned townhouse-style residence halls. For more information, visit northcentralcollege.edu/community-and-visitors.

Distinctive Academic Opportunities

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

  • Enactus (formerly Students In Free Enterprise)–North Central College consistently ranks as one of the top teams in the nation.
  • The Kindling, The Chronicle, North Central Review, Viewfinder
  • D-Term
  • Verandah courses
  • Study abroad
  • WONC-FM 89.1–North Central College has won 20 Marconi Awards, the highest honor in college radio broadcasting. No college radio station in the country has won more.
  • Chicago Term
  • Model United Nations—North Central College is consistently one of the top five delegations competing in the Model United Nations Midwestern Conference.
  • Forensics
  • Mock Trial
  • Leadership, Ethics and Values program
  • Dispute Resolution
  • Undergraduate student research
  • College Scholars Honors Program
  • Richter Independent Study Fellowship
  • National Student Scholarship
  • Rall Symposium for Undergraduate Research
  • Cardinal Video

Performing Arts Opportunities

  • Concert Choir
  • Women’s Chorale
  • Cardinal Chorus
  • Chamber Singers
  • Opera Workshop
  • Naperville Chorus
  • Gospel Choir
  • Concert Winds
  • Pep Band
  • Chamber String Ensemble
  • Big Band
  • Vocal Jazz Ensemble
  • Jazz Combos and Chamber Jazz
  • Percussion, Guitar, Flute, Woodwind, Saxophone and Harp Ensembles