The College houses the Community Counseling Center that provides quality affordable mental health services and the Institute for Social and Policy Research, which uses social science and policy analysis methods to find solutions to educational, social, and health-related challenges facing the citizens of Northwest Indiana and the Chicago metropolitan region. Located in Northwest Indiana in the greater Chicago area and near the Indiana Dunes National Park, PNW serves approximately 9,000 students, including 6,000 core students, in a wide range of academic programs at the baccalaureate, master's and applied doctoral levels.