Northwestern College (NWC) is a private Christian Liberal arts college with more than 1200 students located in Orange City, Iowa. It is also known as Northwestern IA. It is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America (RCA). Northwestern began as an academy in 1882. It was then upgraded to junior college status in 1928. In 1961, it became the four-year institution it is today. Athletically, Northwestern competes as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), Division II, within the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC).