Northwest Christian University
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College Profile

At a Glance

  • 534 enrolled students
  • Female/male ratio is 59/41
  • Student/Faculty ratio is 10:1  
  • 30 Full-Time Faculty

Most Popular Areas of Study

  1. Teacher Education (K-12)
  2. Business Administration
  3. Psychology
  4. Exercise Science 
  5. Music Industry

Profile1History
Northwest Christian University was founded in 1895 by pastor-educator, Eugene C. Sanderson, and named Eugene Divinity School. Through a series of name changes and a merger, the college became known as Northwest Christian College in 1934. On July 1, 2008, the name officially changed to NCU.

Affiliation
Northwest Christian has a deep heritage developed with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Christian Churches/Churches of Christ and we seek to develop a diverse campus community that welcomes students from a wide variety of church backgrounds. Approximately fifteen percent of the student body comes from these two church bodies. Many of our students come from other Christian backgrounds and groups such as Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Foursquare, Lutheran, Nazarene, Episcopal, Assembly of God, Catholic, and Community Churches.

Accreditation and Certifications

  • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  • International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education
  • Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists
  • Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission

Memberships

  1. Council of Christian College and Universities
  2. Council of Independent Colleges
  3. Oregon Independent Colleges Association
  4. National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
  5. Council on Undergraduate Research
  6. Chamber of Commerce: Eugene, Roseburg, Springfield, Klamath Falls

Profile2Location
Eugene, Oregon's third largest city, is consistently voted one of the nation's most livable cities. In the heart of the beautiful Willamette Valley, along the I-5 corridor, Eugene is 100 miles south of Portland and just one hour away from both the Pacific Ocean and the majestic Cascade Mountain Range. Eugene is a lively city of diverse tastes and activities. From the world-renowned Bach Festival to the annual Fiesta Latina, from minor league baseball to the newly remodeled Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, you'll find plenty to occupy your interests.

Campus
The environment is intimate and the surroundings picturesque. Our campus is just a few minutes from city center and bordered partially by the University of Oregon and Sacred Heart Regional Medical Center. Our buildings are a blend of historic and modern. The oldest building, a Eugene landmark, is the three-story Martha Goodrich Administration Building constructed in 1908 from volcanic stone. One of our newest buildings is the 43,000 square foot, state-of-the-art Morse Event Center (MEC) completed in the fall of 2003. The MEC is home to our intercollegiate basketball and volleyball teams, provides all students with access to a full-court gym and a fitness center and hosts concerts, workshops, and seminars throughout the year. Three student housing facilities provide residence halls and apartment-style living.

Profile3Transportation
I-5 connects Eugene with the West Coast north and south. Bus lines, Amtrak, and major airlines provide service to the city. Lane Transit District operates a full schedule of bus routes, including frequent stops to the campus. An extensive network of city bike routes cover the area.

Financial Aid
Excellent scholarship program! Over 95% of the student body receives aid. A full array of federal, state and institutionally-funded assistance is available to help students with financial need. In addition, merit scholarships are available and recognize academic achievement, leadership, and notable accomplishments. Assistance is often a combination of several kinds of financial aid.

Profile4Kellenberger Library
The Edward P. Kellenberger Library contains 74,000 cataloged books, journals, audiovisuals, and microforms and over 260 print journal subscriptions. Full-text articles are available online from over 47,000 journal titles, along with other information resources in several licensed databases. Additionally, over 500,000 items can be borrowed from seven consortium libraries through the automated OPALL catalog, and over 2 million items are available to borrow from the nearby University of Oregon library. Several special collections are located in the library, including the Rare Book and Bible Collection, the College Archives, and the Disciples Historical Collection. The Friends of the Library organization devotes volunteer time and raises funds to support various library projects.

Alternative Credit
The college grants credit for satisfactory test scores from the Advanced Placement (AP) program, the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and the International Baccalaureate (IB). The maximum number of credits granted is 46.

Orientation Programs
Close contact between students and faculty begins as soon as students arrive on campus. For traditional undergraduates, the week prior to the beginning of fall term is "fish week" where students are introduced to their faculty advisor, the dean of students, and upperclassmen who serve as mentors and residence assistants. Students in the Graduate and Professional Studies program also go through an orientation program.

Profile5
Athletics
The Northwest Christian University Athletic Department sponsors twelve collegiate sports in the Cascade Collegiate Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA): 

  • Men's and Women's Basketball
  • Men's and Women's Distance Track
  • Men's and Women's Cross Country
  • Men's and Women's Golf
  • Men's and Women's Soccer
  • Women's Softball
  • Women's Volleyball

Since 1983, athletic teams have won eight national championships and have made 20 national tournament appearances.

Study Abroad
Students at Northwest Christian University can participate in the following off-campus study programs offered by the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities: 

  1. American Studies Program
  2. Australian Studies Centre
  3. China Studies Program
  4. Contemporary Music Center
  5. Latin America Studies Program
  6. Los Angeles Film Studies Center
  7. Middle East Studies Program
  8. Programmes in Oxford
  9. Russian Studies Program
  10. Summer Institute of Journalism
  11. Uganda Studies Program

Northwest Christian University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, or any other protected status to the extent prohibited by applicable nondiscriminatory laws in its admission policy, employment, scholarship and loan programs, athletic, and other activities that it operates.