Northern Illinois University (NIU) vs Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU)

Northern Illinois University (NIU) and Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to their students. NIU, located in DeKalb, Illinois, boasts a larger student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to SVSU in University Center, Michigan. While both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, NIU excels in fields like engineering, business, and education, while SVSU is known for its strengths in nursing, health sciences, and criminal justice. Additionally, NIU's graduation rate is slightly higher than SVSU's, indicating a stronger track record of student success. To help you make an informed decision about your academic journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more, allowing you to assess which university better aligns with your aspirations and goals.

	Northern Illinois University	Saginaw Valley State University
Overview
Location	Dekalb, Illinois	University Center, Michigan
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	Suburb: Midsize
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	67.0%	73.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	70.4%	77.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60
SAT range	N/A	960 - 1170
ACT range	N/A	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score		80.0%
Students submitting ACT score		6.0%
Total number of applicants	22,602	5,899
Total number of admissions given out	15,922	4,590
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,285	1,336
Yield rate	14.4%	29.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$27,218	In state: $26,036 Out of state: $41,050
Average net price	$13,265	$15,476
Tuition	$9,606	In state: $11,130 Out of state: $26,144
Room & board	$11,098	Room/dormitory: $4,608 Meal plan: $4,150
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $13,008	98.0% Average amount $7,607
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $5,313	54.0% Average amount $5,138
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $11,726	6.0% Average amount $9,204

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,834 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	6,789 Men 35.6% Women 64.4%
Graduate students	4,400 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%	734 Men 21.1% Women 78.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	4.6%	3.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	4,500	2,233
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Engineering Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Education Public Administration and Social Service Business Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.8%	42.5%
Dropout rate	46.9%	53.3%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,762 Year 2: $73,378 Year 3: $76,097 Computer Systems Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,415 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $71,386 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,169 Year 3: $70,201 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,282 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $66,489 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,511 Year 2: $61,688 Year 3: $63,045 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,063 Year 2: $56,776 Year 3: $62,740 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $60,104 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $40,641 Year 3: $55,381 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,943 Year 2: $44,468 Year 3: $53,829 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,863 Year 2: $48,682 Year 3: $53,438

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Northern Illinois University (NIU) vs Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU)

Northern Illinois University

Saginaw Valley State University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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