Northern Illinois University
Basic Information
Type
Public
Geographical Reach
Regional
Location
Dekalb, IL
Population
300,000
Website
http://www.niu.edu/
Demographics
Total Undergraduates
11,277
Men / Women
47% / 53%
White
47%
Hispanic
24%
Black
17%
Asian
6%
International
2%
Native American
1%
Mixed
1%
From State
92%
From Region
3%
Academics
Undergraduate Degrees
Business & Economics
21%
Health Sciences
15%
Education
13%
Engineering
8%
Arts
6%
Computer Science
5%
Life & Natural Sciences
4%
Physical Sciences & Math
3%
Professional
2%
Financial
Tuition & Fees
$13,248
Est. Cost of Attendance
$17,138
10-Year ROI
$192,000
ROI Percentile
79th
Retention & Graduation
Full-Time Retention
70%
4-Year Graduation Rate
29%
6-Year Graduation Rate
49%
Transfer-Out Rate
0%
Weather
Comfortable Days
105 (50%)
Sunshine Hours
2,508 (33%)
Days Without Precipitation
241 (38%)
Admissions
Uses Common App
Yes
Acceptance Rate
52%
Yield (Unbound)
12%
Regular Decision
Jan 1
Research
Research Level
R2
Expenditure
| Humanities & Social Sciences | $9M | #139 |
| Engineering, Computing & Math | $9M | #207 |
| Life & Natural Sciences | $14M | #224 |
Graduate Degrees
| Humanities & Social Sciences | 187 | #127 |
| Engineering, Computing & Math | 4 | #230 |
| Life & Natural Sciences | 70 | #230 |
Honors College
Standardized Tests
Test Scores
Test Policy
blind
Earnings by Major Category
Each major category's degree-weighted estimated median 5-year earnings at this college, expressed as a z-score against the national degree-weighted distribution for that category. 0 is the national average. The shaded band between +1.28 and −1.28 marks the central 80% of the national distribution (10th–90th percentile).
Schools & Majors
| ⇅ | Trends | Degrees | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | ROI | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Illinois University | 2,445 | 47% / 53% | 1% | $62,340 | 96% | ||
| Biomedical Engineering | 16 — | 31% / 69% | 6% | $78,368 | 92 | 100% | |
| Electrical Engineering | 41 — | 95% / 5% | 0% | $86,449 | 96 | 99% | |
| Industrial Engineering | 19 — | 68% / 32% | 11% | $88,954 | 96 | 97% | |
| Mechanical Engineering | 119 — | 88% / 12% | 3% | $86,692 | 96 | 97% | |
| Computer Science | 120 +2 | 84% / 16% | 1% | $85,811 | 95 | 96% | |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | 11 — | 73% / 27% | 0% | $67,166 | 84 | 95% | |
| Chemistry | 22 +1 | 59% / 41% | 0% | $62,503 | 79 | 94% | |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 1 — | 100% / 0% | 0% | $62,101 | 78 | — | |
| Geosciences | 8 — | 75% / 25% | 0% | $62,512 | 79 | — | |
| Mathematics | 15 +2 | 80% / 20% | 0% | $73,553 | 89 | 94% | |
| Physics | 8 +1 | 88% / 12% | 12% | $71,610 | 87 | — | |
| Statistics | 7 +1 | 71% / 29% | 0% | $78,805 | 92 | — | |
| Biology | 65 — | 37% / 63% | 5% | $63,964 | 81 | 95% | |
| Dietetics/Dietitian | 15 — | 20% / 80% | 0% | $52,265 | 61 | 91% | |
| Environmental Studies | 27 — | 41% / 59% | 0% | $48,605 | 53 | 100% | |
| Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist | 22 — | 45% / 55% | 5% | $69,250 | 85 | 97% | |
| Communication Sciences and Disorders | 27 — | 4% / 96% | 7% | $53,628 | 64 | 97% | |
| Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling | 33 — | 24% / 76% | 0% | $57,919 | 72 | 92% | |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | 112 +1 | 26% / 74% | 0% | $54,266 | 65 | 97% | |
| Nursing | 124 — | 17% / 83% | 0% | $78,637 | 92 | 100% | |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 58 — | 59% / 41% | 2% | $51,319 | 59 | 95% | |
| Accounting | 104 — | 58% / 42% | 3% | $83,523 | 94 | 96% | |
| Actuarial Science | — — | — | — | $79,904 | 93 | — | |
| Business Analytics | 75 +1 | 49% / 51% | 0% | $65,538 | 82 | 98% | |
| Business Management and Administration | 51 +1 | 65% / 35% | 0% | $76,392 | 91 | 97% | |
| Economics | 18 +1 | 94% / 6% | 0% | $69,275 | 85 | 96% | |
| Finance | 46 +2 | 78% / 22% | 4% | $79,501 | 92 | 98% | |
| Hospitality Management | 13 +1 | 23% / 77% | 0% | $57,375 | 71 | 100% | |
| Marketing | 109 +3 | 63% / 37% | 1% | $68,194 | 85 | 97% | |
| Operations Management | 43 — | 72% / 28% | 5% | $76,392 | 91 | 97% | |
| Sports Management | 44 — | 93% / 7% | 0% | $51,319 | 59 | 95% | |
| Anthropology | 5 — | 60% / 40% | 0% | $49,059 | 54 | 78% | |
| Criminology | 13 +1 | 38% / 62% | 0% | $54,923 | 67 | — | |
| English | 47 +2 | 30% / 70% | 0% | $44,293 | 40 | 94% | |
| French | 4 — | 0% / 100% | 0% | $53,528 | 64 | 95% | |
| Geography | 10 +1 | 80% / 20% | 10% | $59,972 | 75 | 89% | |
| German | 1 — | 100% / 0% | 0% | $53,721 | 64 | — | |
| History | 40 — | 80% / 20% | 0% | $53,605 | 64 | 92% | |
| Human Development and Family Studies | 56 — | 5% / 95% | 0% | $45,830 | 45 | 93% | |
| Human Services | 7 — | 0% / 100% | 0% | $46,762 | 48 | 92% | |
| Journalism | 13 — | 38% / 62% | 0% | $47,283 | 49 | 98% | |
| Philosophy | 6 +1 | 67% / 33% | 0% | $49,227 | 54 | — | |
| Political Science | 50 +3 | 58% / 42% | 0% | $60,494 | 76 | 92% | |
| Psychology | 213 +1 | 26% / 74% | 1% | $47,360 | 49 | 96% | |
| Sociology | 27 +1 | 19% / 81% | 0% | $49,637 | 55 | 91% | |
| Spanish | 11 — | 45% / 55% | 0% | $53,528 | 64 | 95% | |
| Speech Communication and Rhetoric | 61 +1 | 54% / 46% | 3% | $56,644 | 70 | 93% | |
| Early Childhood Education | 32 — | 3% / 97% | 3% | $48,018 | 51 | 98% | |
| Elementary Education | 77 — | 9% / 91% | 1% | $48,018 | 51 | 98% | |
| General Education | 93 — | 41% / 59% | 1% | $50,679 | 58 | 94% | |
| Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching | 23 — | 39% / 61% | 0% | $48,018 | 51 | 98% | |
| Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | 28 — | 57% / 43% | 0% | $53,340 | 64 | 94% | |
| Special Education | 63 — | 10% / 90% | 2% | $57,132 | 71 | 98% | |
| Apparel and Textiles | 8 — | 38% / 62% | 0% | $57,009 | 71 | 96% | |
| Art Education | 18 — | 11% / 89% | 0% | $53,340 | 64 | 94% | |
| Art History | 2 — | 50% / 50% | 0% | $41,109 | 31 | 91% | |
| Fine Arts | 21 +1 | 43% / 57% | 5% | $41,109 | 31 | 91% | |
| Fine/Studio Arts | 54 — | 33% / 67% | 0% | $41,109 | 31 | 91% | |
| Music | 1 — | 100% / 0% | 0% | $31,511 | 9 | 96% | |
| Music Performance | 23 — | 65% / 35% | 0% | $31,511 | 9 | 96% | |
| Theater | 22 — | 41% / 59% | 0% | $38,201 | 23 | 94% | |
| Engineering Technologies | 43 — | 93% / 7% | 0% | $85,470 | 95 | 99% |