Northern Illinois University (NIU) vs Cal State Fullerton

Northern Illinois University (NIU) and California State University-Fullerton (CSUF) are two distinct universities with unique offerings. NIU, located in DeKalb, Illinois, boasts a higher acceptance rate (79%) compared to CSUF's 34%, making it a more accessible option for students. CSUF, situated in Fullerton, California, excels in popular majors like business, engineering, and health professions, while NIU is known for its strengths in education, nursing, and psychology. CSUF's student body is more diverse, with a higher percentage of Hispanic and Asian students, while NIU has a larger international student population. In terms of graduation rates, CSUF has a slight edge, with 63% of its students completing their degrees within six years compared to NIU's 59%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions between these two institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California State University-Fullerton	Northern Illinois University
Overview
Location	Fullerton, California	Dekalb, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: 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	87.0%	67.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	59.4%	70.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	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	45,140	22,602
Total number of admissions given out	26,827	15,922
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,219	2,285
Yield rate	15.7%	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	In state: $30,282 Out of state: $42,162	$27,218
Average net price	$4,939	$13,265
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	$9,606
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $12,918 Meal plan: $4,374	$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)	74.0% Average amount $9,215	98.0% Average amount $13,008
Students receiving federal student loan	17.0% Average amount $4,700	58.0% Average amount $5,313
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $11,380	5.0% Average amount $11,726

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	35,600 Men 41.2% Women 58.8%	11,834 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	5,138 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%	4,400 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	0.9%	N/A
International students	4.9%	4.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	2,045	4,500
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Texas Hawaii Illinois Arizona	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Education Engineering Business	Education Health Professions Business Engineering Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	25:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	71.5%	50.8%
Dropout rate	21.3%	46.9%
Transferred out	1.8%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $145,938 Year 2: $157,680 Year 3: $165,916 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $138,162 Year 2: $114,595 Year 3: $130,592 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $113,642 Year 2: $110,241 Year 3: $114,173 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,293 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $97,266 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $86,611 Year 2: $86,042 Year 3: $94,651 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,934 Year 2: $80,779 Year 3: $90,936 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,382 Year 2: $78,971 Year 3: $89,837 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,840 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $81,048 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,980 Year 2: $76,325 Year 3: $79,512 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,145 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $78,803	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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