Illinois State vs North Central

When it comes to higher education, Illinois State University and North Central College stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. Illinois State, a public university located in Normal, boasts a larger student body and a wider range of academic programs, including doctoral degrees. North Central, a private liberal arts college in Naperville, offers a more intimate learning environment with smaller class sizes and a focus on undergraduate education. Both schools have strong reputations and offer a variety of opportunities for students to succeed, but there are key differences in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comparison table below to discover which institution better aligns with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Illinois State University	North Central College
Overview
Location	Normal, Illinois	Naperville, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	83.0%	77.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.5%	68.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	$25
SAT range	1000 - 1200	1030 - 1230
ACT range	21 - 27	22 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	51.0%	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	17.0%
Total number of applicants	11,913	4,551
Total number of admissions given out	10,905	3,113
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,374	512
Yield rate	30.9%	16.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $31,811 Out of state: $43,335	$61,098
Average net price	$21,033	$26,207
Tuition	In state: $11,524 Out of state: $23,048	$42,026
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,494 Meal plan: $4,652	Room/dormitory: $7,998 Meal plan: $3,890
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $10,848	100.0% Average amount $28,670
Students receiving federal student loan	46.0% Average amount $5,065	60.0% Average amount $5,156
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $14,532	25.0% Average amount $6,992

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	17,674 Men 43.0% Women 57.0%	2,404 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%
Graduate students	2,559 Men 35.1% Women 64.9%	324 Men 29.3% Women 70.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	4.2%	26.8%
International students	2.8%	3.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	5,560	1,333
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Missouri Wisconsin Michigan Iowa	Illinois Wisconsin Indiana Ohio Michigan

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science	Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.3%	64.4%
Dropout rate	32.0%	35.1%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,556 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $102,485 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,002 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $78,276 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,303 Year 2: $72,884 Year 3: $77,896 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,576 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $73,936 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,516 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $73,592 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,000 Year 2: $64,791 Year 3: $70,358 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,829 Year 2: $65,194 Year 3: $65,533 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,294 Year 2: $54,996 Year 3: $64,567 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,313 Year 2: $52,781 Year 3: $64,241 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,480 Year 2: $54,470 Year 3: $63,207	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,561 Year 2: $63,501 Year 3: $74,669 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,155 Year 2: $62,260 Year 3: $71,061 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,815 Year 2: $58,921 Year 3: $66,245 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,117 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $64,795 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,621 Year 2: $45,305 Year 3: $51,292 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,923 Year 2: $43,240 Year 3: $50,109 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,795 Year 2: $43,000 Year 3: $49,516 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,391 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $47,721 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,154 Year 2: $45,584 Year 3: $46,743 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,411 Year 2: $40,441 Year 3: $44,647

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