student walking on campus

Exceed Your Personal Best

Undergraduate Graduate Apply

Focused on YOU!

At North Central College, you decide your own future. You’ll discover new ways to think, broaden your perspective, experience new places and work with people who have been where you want to go. Together, we will prepare you to make a real difference in our world. This journey is about YOU. Our job? To help you exceed your personal best.

Our Brand Anthem

Our focus on YOU can be traced to the founding of North Central College in 1861. More than 160 years later, our identity still centers around our Cardinals and how we can help you Exceed Your Personal Best. 

Our Logo

North Central College's logo, from 1967 - 2019

Our logo isn't just about branding. It's an icon that speaks to our legacy, and a symbol that nods to our future. And though our logo may have changed over the decades, our commitment to students and their success is constant. Check out this energizing montage featuring North Central's current logo, as well as previous iterations spanning back to 1967.

Learn more and get started!

The best way to find out how we can help you become better than your best is to see for yourself. Once you get a sample of how we put student success first, you’ll know why we say our Cardinal Rule is you. Then all that’s left is to join the Cardinal Family—and we make that easy, too.

students walking on campus

Visit Campus

Come to Naperville for a student-led tour of our beautiful 68.5-acre campus right next to a downtown with everything you need. We have full-day visit programs, Saturday visits, information sessions for transfer students and private tours by appointment—whatever works for your schedule. We can’t wait to meet you.

students in class

Apply Today

Our process makes it easy for you to find the right application for you. Our helpful admission counselors will be there for help every step of the way, from filling out the first form to welcoming you to orientation.

students in class

Undergraduate Studies

As an undergraduate student at North Central, you'll attend classes where you will get all the attention and guidance you need. You'll be hands-on, completing research and projects in the classroom, the lab and out in the world. You will have experiences designed to spark your curiosity, get you involved and most of all, help you elevate your confidence.

student working on computer

Graduate Studies

Graduate school is all about realizing the right direction for you. That's why our master’s degree programs include online and blended courses, giving you the flexibility to live your life while you upgrade your résumé. Our stellar faculty will help you learn what it takes to get the best jobs in growing industries or become a leader in the one you’ve chosen.

student studying online

Our Programs

With more than 100 degree programs designed specifically for you, we are confident you will find what you are looking for at North Central College. Our innovative and passionate faculty provide inspired instruction to help you exceed your personal best. 

students sitting on a bench in an outdoor courtyard

Cardinal Directions

There are no two college students exactly alike, and neither are their paths to graduation. That’s why North Central College created Cardinal Directions, a revolutionary approach to the General Education Curriculum that puts your college journey in your hands.

Cardinal First

Cardinal First

At North Central, we make our students who are the first in their family to go to college a point of pride, and we take extra care to help them along the way. Cardinal First is an award-winning program providing guidance and resources to first-generation students from orientation to Commencement.

Come Experience the Cardinal Difference

There is no better way to see what we are talking about than scheduling an on-campus visit. Speak with faculty, view our labs and classrooms, and experience what it means to be a Cardinal.

students walking around campus