Northern Illinois University (NIU) vs IU-Bloomington

Northern Illinois University (NIU) and Indiana University-Bloomington (IU-Bloomington) are two well-regarded public universities located in the Midwest, each offering a unique educational experience. NIU, situated in DeKalb, Illinois, boasts a higher acceptance rate (79%) compared to IU-Bloomington's more selective admissions (72%). Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with NIU excelling in fields like nursing, education, and business, while IU-Bloomington is renowned for its strengths in music, journalism, and public affairs. While NIU's student body is predominantly composed of Illinois residents, IU-Bloomington attracts a more geographically diverse population. In terms of graduation rates, IU-Bloomington holds a slight edge over NIU, with a higher percentage of students completing their degrees within six years. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table below, highlighting key differences between these two institutions. Explore

	Indiana University-Bloomington	Northern Illinois University
Overview
Location	Bloomington, Indiana	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	90.0%	67.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.0%	70.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1160 - 1380	N/A
ACT range	26 - 32	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	39.0%
Students submitting ACT score	23.0%
Total number of applicants	46,498	22,602
Total number of admissions given out	39,543	15,922
Admitted students who chose to enroll	9,482	2,285
Yield rate	24.0%	14.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not 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: $27,299 Out of state: $54,318	$27,218
Average net price	$13,386	$13,265
Tuition	In state: $9,913 Out of state: $36,932	$9,606
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,798 Meal plan: $4,300	$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)	67.0% Average amount $11,608	98.0% Average amount $13,008
Students receiving federal student loan	30.0% Average amount $5,040	58.0% Average amount $5,313
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $19,336	5.0% Average amount $11,726

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	34,253 Men 50.1% Women 49.9%	11,834 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	11,075 Men 53.1% Women 46.9%	4,400 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	43.6%	N/A
International students	10.4%	4.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	13,484	4,500
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Indiana Illinois New Jersey California New York	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Public Administration and Social Service Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Computer and Information Science Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Education Health Professions Business Engineering Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	80.8%	50.8%
Dropout rate	7.9%	46.9%
Transferred out	10.2%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,595 Year 2: $114,366 Year 3: $123,644 Optometry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $95,538 Year 2: $108,370 Year 3: $115,751 Human Computer Interaction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,640 Year 2: $80,355 Year 3: $97,668 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $101,331 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $88,260 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,263 Year 2: $70,596 Year 3: $82,012 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,288 Year 2: $67,869 Year 3: $81,338 Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $79,011 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $79,545 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,371 Year 2: $65,832 Year 3: $78,226 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $66,745 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $75,109 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $73,446 Year 3: $74,650	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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