Northwestern-St. Paul vs Trine: Softball Program Comparison
Two D3 programs. Trine lists $1,230 less in tuition; Trine graduates earn $6,410 more a decade out.
Which one is right for you?
Neither school is better in the abstract — they are better for different athletes. These are the differences big enough to actually decide on.
Lean Northwestern-St. Paul if…
- You want to leave with less owed: median debt at Northwestern-St. Paul is $3,675 lower than at Trine.
Lean Trine if…
- You are weighing the degree as an investment: Trine graduates earn about $6,410 more per year a decade after enrolling.
What it costs to go there
Published sticker price from IPEDS. Almost nobody pays it — athletic, academic and need-based aid all come off the top — but the gap between two schools is a fair read on the gap between two offers.
| Measure | Northwestern-St. Paul | Trine |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition & feesBoth schools charge one rate regardless of residency. | $36,830 | $35,600 — Trine leads on this measure: lower published tuition |
| Room & board | $11,148 — Northwestern-St. Paul leads on this measure: lower room & board | $12,250 |
| Est. year, all inTuition & fees plus room & board. Excludes books, travel and any aid. | $47,978 | $47,850 |
What you leave with
Federal College Scorecard figures for all students at the institution, not softball players specifically. Read them as a signal about the degree, not about the program.
| Measure | Northwestern-St. Paul | Trine |
|---|---|---|
| Graduation rate | 68% | 68% |
| Median earnings, 10 years after entry | $50,755/yr | $57,165/yr — Trine leads on this measure: higher median earnings a decade out |
| Median debt at graduation | $21,325 — Northwestern-St. Paul leads on this measure: less debt carried out the door | $25,000 |
| Debt as a share of year-10 payMedian debt divided by median earnings 10 years after entry. Lower is easier to pay back. | 42% — Northwestern-St. Paul leads on this measure: debt is a smaller share of what graduates earn | 44% |
Getting in, and what you'd walk into
Admissions and size. A coach can support your file, but at most schools they cannot admit you — the academic profile below is the bar you still have to clear.
| Measure | Northwestern-St. Paul | Trine |
|---|---|---|
| Admission rateLower means more selective — harder to get in, but not automatically the better fit. | 93% | 85% |
| Total enrollmentNeither is better — it is the difference between a lecture hall and a seminar table. | 3,262 | 4,471 |
| Where it is | Saint Paul, MN | Angola, IN |
The softball program itself
Division and conference set the ceiling; the postseason record and staff tell you what the program has actually done with it.
| Measure | Northwestern-St. Paul | Trine |
|---|---|---|
| Conference | UMAC | MIAA-D3 |
| Head coach | Alicia du'Monceaux | Donnie Danklefsen |
How you actually get in front of them
Camps and questionnaires are the two channels a recruit controls. Where a program runs its own camp, that camp is usually the shortest path to being evaluated by the staff that would recruit you.
| Measure | Northwestern-St. Paul | Trine |
|---|---|---|
| Recruiting questionnaire | — | Yes |
| Program on X / Instagram | — | Yes |
Scholarship money, honestly
Both programs sit at NCAA Division III, so the scholarship rules are identical: 0 (no athletic scholarships). There are no athletic scholarships at D3 — by rule. But D3 schools often award generous academic merit and need-based aid that can rival an athletic scholarship elsewhere.
What to do about it this week
Questionnaires are exempt from NCAA contact-date rules, so you can submit one at any age. Do both, then follow with a short email to each staff.
Northwestern-St. Paul
Find the recruiting questionnaireWe do not hold a verified form link for this program — this opens a search.
Camps we track
None listed right now. Camp schedules go up through the winter — check the program's own site before ruling it out.
Trine
Open the recruiting questionnaireCamps we track
None listed right now. Camp schedules go up through the winter — check the program's own site before ruling it out.
Northwestern-St. Paul vs Trine: common questions
- Is Northwestern-St. Paul or Trine cheaper?
- Published cost is effectively the same — about $47,978 a year in tuition and housing at both, before any aid. Cost is unlikely to be what decides this one.
- Which school graduates more of its students, Northwestern-St. Paul or Trine?
- Both report a 68% graduation rate (IPEDS, 2023-24).
- Do Northwestern-St. Paul and Trine offer softball scholarships?
- Both play at NCAA Division III: 0 (no athletic scholarships). There are no athletic scholarships at D3 — by rule. But D3 schools often award generous academic merit and need-based aid that can rival an athletic scholarship elsewhere.
- How do I contact the coaches at Northwestern-St. Paul and Trine?
- Trine runs a recruiting questionnaire — submit it first, since questionnaires are exempt from NCAA contact-date rules. For Northwestern-St. Paul, we do not hold a verified form link, so start from the program page and email the staff directly.
Cost, graduation and enrollment figures from IPEDS (U.S. Dept. of Education, 2023-24). Earnings, debt and admission rates from the federal College Scorecard. Postseason results from the NCAA Division I softball tournament records, 2021-2026. Rankings from NCAA.com and U.S. News & World Report. Figures describe the institution, not the softball roster.
We work hard to keep all data for Northwestern-St. Paul and Trine accurate and up-to-date, but we sometimes miss changes or get something wrong.
Still deciding between them?
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