Northern Illinois University (NIU) vs East Carolina University

Northern Illinois University (NIU) and East Carolina University (ECU) are two public universities with distinct characteristics. NIU, located in DeKalb, Illinois, has an acceptance rate of 84%, while ECU, situated in Greenville, North Carolina, has an acceptance rate of 73%. Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with popular majors including Business, Education, and Health Sciences at NIU, and Business, Nursing, and Education at ECU. NIU's student body is predominantly White (62%) and female (56%), while ECU's student body is more diverse, with a larger proportion of Black (22%) and Hispanic (13%) students, and a slightly higher percentage of male students (51%). In terms of graduation rates, NIU's four-year graduation rate is 28%, while ECU's is slightly higher at 31%. To help you make an informed decision about which university better suits
East Carolina University logo

East Carolina University

Northern Illinois University logo

Northern Illinois University

Overview

Location Greenville, North Carolina Dekalb, Illinois
Campus setting City: Small 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 81.0% 67.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 93.9% 70.4%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $75

Graduate: $75
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 21,898 22,602
Total number of admissions given out 20,560 15,922
Admitted students who chose to enroll 4,100 2,285
Yield rate 19.9% 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) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $23,215

Out of state: $39,492
$27,218
Average net price $14,762 $13,265
Tuition
In state: $4,452

Out of state: $20,729
$9,606
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $5,630

Meal plan: $4,060
$11,098
Available payment plans
  • Guaranteed tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Guaranteed tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

63.0%
Average amount $7,761
98.0%
Average amount $13,008
Students receiving federal student loan 51.0%
Average amount $5,180
58.0%
Average amount $5,313
Students taking out private loans 8.0%
Average amount $14,093
5.0%
Average amount $11,726

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 22,463
Men 41.2% Women 58.8%
11,834
Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students 5,558
Men 32.6% Women 67.4%
4,400
Men 40.8% Women 59.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Moderate
Out-of-state students 13.6% N/A
International students 0.8% 4.6%
Campus local/setting City: Small Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity 5,203 4,500
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from North Carolina Virginia Maryland Pennsylvania New York N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Business
  • Engineering Technologies
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Education
  • Health Professions
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio 18:1 15:1
Institutional accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 65.8% 50.8%
Dropout rate 8.3% 46.9%
Transferred out 24.1% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $98,089
  • Year 2: $119,805
  • Year 3: $156,994
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $101,084
  • Year 2: $98,551
  • Year 3: $99,673
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $92,078
  • Year 2: $86,590
  • Year 3: $95,227
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $79,013
  • Year 2: $78,719
  • Year 3: $81,578
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,120
  • Year 2: $66,653
  • Year 3: $80,376
Finance and Financial Management Services (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $63,005
  • Year 3: $70,471
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,817
  • Year 2: $63,005
  • Year 3: $69,508
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,622
  • Year 2: $64,493
  • Year 3: $69,466
Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,056
  • Year 2: $58,447
  • Year 3: $68,486
Medicine (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $54,979
  • Year 2: $55,840
  • Year 3: $68,003
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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