Blackburn College vs Northern Illinois University (NIU)

Blackburn College and Northern Illinois University, while both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Blackburn College, a private liberal arts college, boasts a tight-knit community with a focus on personalized attention, while Northern Illinois University, a public research university, offers a wider range of academic programs and opportunities for research. With Blackburn's acceptance rate hovering around 80% compared to Northern Illinois University's 70%, both institutions welcome a diverse student body, though Blackburn's smaller size fosters a more intimate learning environment. While Northern Illinois University excels in fields like engineering and business, Blackburn College shines in the liberal arts and sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these institutions' graduation rates, student demographics, and other key factors that will help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Blackburn College	Northern Illinois University
Overview
Location	Carlinville, Illinois	Dekalb, Illinois
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	67.0%	67.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.2%	70.4%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60
SAT range	888 - 1125	N/A
ACT range	16 - 24	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	31.0%
Students submitting ACT score	14.0%
Total number of applicants	453	22,602
Total number of admissions given out	300	15,922
Admitted students who chose to enroll	77	2,285
Yield rate	25.7%	14.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$39,230	$27,218
Average net price	$19,016	$13,265
Tuition	$25,570	$9,606
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,230 Meal plan: $3,590	$11,098
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $16,362	98.0% Average amount $13,008
Students receiving federal student loan	90.0% Average amount $5,057	58.0% Average amount $5,313
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $7,924	5.0% Average amount $11,726

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	414 Men 44.4% Women 55.6%	11,834 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	N/A	4,400 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	21.9%	N/A
International students	0.7%	4.6%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	449	4,500
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Texas California Indiana Missouri	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Computer and Information Science Psychology	Education Health Professions Business Engineering Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	45.9%	50.8%
Dropout rate	54.1%	46.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $40,456 Year 3: $40,959 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,105 Year 2: $33,138 Year 3: $37,331 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,093 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A	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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