Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) vs Northern Illinois University (NIU)

Northeastern Illinois University and Northern Illinois University, both esteemed public universities in Illinois, offer distinct educational experiences. Northeastern Illinois University, located in Chicago, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on urban studies, while Northern Illinois University, situated in DeKalb, excels in STEM fields and offers a wider range of undergraduate and graduate programs. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to diverse student needs and aspirations. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Northeastern Illinois University	Northern Illinois University
Overview
Location	Chicago, Illinois	Dekalb, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	61.0%	67.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	62.1%	70.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	3,399	22,602
Total number of admissions given out	2,111	15,922
Admitted students who chose to enroll	330	2,285
Yield rate	15.6%	14.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,985 Out of state: $35,076	$27,218
Average net price	$14,133	$13,265
Tuition	In state: $10,091 Out of state: $20,182	$9,606
Room & board		$11,098
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	78.0% Average amount $10,529	98.0% Average amount $13,008
Students receiving federal student loan	15.0% Average amount $6,215	58.0% Average amount $5,313
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $5,866	5.0% Average amount $11,726

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,608 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%	11,834 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	1,832 Men 32.0% Women 68.0%	4,400 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	2.4%	N/A
International students	2.1%	4.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	426	4,500
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Missouri Wisconsin California Georgia	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Computer and Information Science Liberal Arts	Education Health Professions Business Engineering Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	21.4%	50.8%
Dropout rate	75.4%	46.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,937 Year 2: $77,401 Year 3: $85,599 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,326 Year 2: $56,544 Year 3: $67,702 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,232 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $62,229 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,083 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $57,180 Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,637 Year 2: $45,383 Year 3: $55,124 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,581 Year 2: $46,407 Year 3: $51,995 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,263 Year 2: $43,240 Year 3: $49,244 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,577 Year 2: $45,500 Year 3: $47,512 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,527 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $45,767 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,519 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $45,740	Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $118,716 Year 2: $98,186 Year 3: $125,726 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,047 Year 2: $88,920 Year 3: $96,563 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,161 Year 2: $91,587 Year 3: $94,214 Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,013 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $76,350 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $74,606 Year 2: $75,204 Year 3: $75,980 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,752 Year 2: $64,150 Year 3: $74,168 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,234 Year 2: $66,989 Year 3: $74,151 Psychology, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $57,535 Year 2: $68,499 Year 3: $73,940 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $70,453 Year 2: $69,151 Year 3: $72,792 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,291 Year 2: $63,685 Year 3: $72,760

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