UC-Cincinnati vs Northern Illinois University (NIU)

When it comes to choosing the right university, it's essential to compare institutions to find the best fit. The University of Cincinnati-Main Campus and Northern Illinois University, both located in vibrant college towns, offer distinct experiences. With an acceptance rate of 84% and a diverse student body, the University of Cincinnati-Main Campus stands out for its strong programs in engineering, business, and health sciences. On the other hand, Northern Illinois University, with a slightly lower acceptance rate of 79%, boasts strengths in education, nursing, and psychology. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details on these universities' acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, helping you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Northern Illinois University	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Overview
Location	Dekalb, Illinois	Cincinnati, Ohio
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	City: Large
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	67.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	70.4%	84.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $65
SAT range	N/A	1150 - 1350
ACT range	N/A	24 - 29
Students submitting SAT score		10.0%
Students submitting ACT score		48.0%
Total number of applicants	22,602	25,775
Total number of admissions given out	15,922	21,865
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,285	5,400
Yield rate	14.4%	24.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$27,218	In state: $30,420 Out of state: $45,754
Average net price	$13,265	$20,827
Tuition	$9,606	In state: $10,920 Out of state: $26,254
Room & board	$11,098	Room/dormitory: $7,306 Meal plan: $4,982
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $13,008	71.0% Average amount $6,980
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $5,313	45.0% Average amount $5,293
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $11,726	9.0% Average amount $14,902

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,834 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	28,968 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%
Graduate students	4,400 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%	11,361 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	17.4%
International students	4.6%	8.9%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,500	6,820
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Ohio Indiana Illinois Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Engineering Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Engineering Business Visual & Performing Arts Education
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.8%	73.0%
Dropout rate	46.9%	9.9%
Transferred out	N/A	15.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $115,262 Year 3: $120,730 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $116,456 Year 3: $105,967 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,527 Year 2: $94,013 Year 3: $100,779 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,273 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $93,490 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,329 Year 2: $79,284 Year 3: $87,500 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,396 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $84,425 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $76,699 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,190 Year 2: $68,965 Year 3: $74,560 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,530 Year 2: $68,890 Year 3: $73,392 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,848 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $71,114

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.