Northwest Nazarene University was founded in 1913 as Idaho Holiness School by Eugene Emerson. In the 1960s, Master's programs were added to the University’s degrees and the institution was renamed to Northwest Nazarene University in 1999.

Affiliation
As one of eight U.S. liberal arts colleges affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene, NNU receives financial assistance from the Nazarene churches in its region.

NNU is the college for the Northwest Region of the United States, which comprises the Alaska, Washington Pacific, Oregon Pacific, Northwest, Intermountain, Rocky Mountain, and Colorado districts, which include Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and parts of Nevada and Utah.

Accreditation
Northwest Nazarene University was the first Nazarene institution of higher education to receive regional accreditation and has been accredited by NWCCU, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, for nearly 70 continuous years.

Schools and Departments
NNU's institutional outcomes are provided in programs offered by the six schools of the university: Academic Resources; Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; Business; Education, Social Work and Counseling; Health and Science; and Theology and Christian Ministries.

Online Learning
Online learning makes available all of Northwest Nazarene University's rich academic resources to a global constituency, creating opportunities for a diverse student body to make contact, learn from each other, and share information. The online programs offer direct access to top-quality professors, presenting unique situations for in-depth discussion and instruction. Combining technology with scholastic rigor, NNU's online education programs are carrying our legacy of academic excellence into the new millennium with fully online degrees in Religion, Business and Education.

Financial Aid 
The goal of financial aid is to bridge the gap between what you and your family can afford and the total price of your education. Since more than 95 percent of Northwest Nazarene University students receive some sort of financial aid, we would encourage every student to apply for financial aid and pursue every possible source, including scholarships, grants, loans, and employment.