Northern Illinois University (NIU) vs University of Missouri-St Louis (UMSL)

Northern Illinois University (NIU) and University of Missouri-St Louis (UMSL) are two distinct universities with unique offerings. NIU, located in DeKalb, Illinois, boasts a higher acceptance rate (79%) compared to UMSL's 70%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with NIU excelling in fields like Business, Engineering, and Education, while UMSL shines in Nursing, Social Work, and Criminal Justice. NIU's student body is slightly larger, with a total enrollment of over 15,000 students, while UMSL has a more compact student population of around 12,000. In terms of graduation rates, NIU holds a slight edge with a 58% graduation rate compared to UMSL's 55%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more, allowing you to
Northern Illinois University logo

Northern Illinois University

University of Missouri-St Louis logo

University of Missouri-St Louis

Overview

Location Dekalb, Illinois Saint Louis, Missouri
Campus setting Suburb: Small Suburb: Large
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% 56.6%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $40

Graduate: $60
$50
SAT range N/A 1020 - 1300
ACT range N/A 22 - 29
Students submitting SAT score 8.0%
Students submitting ACT score 50.0%
Total number of applicants 22,602 3,054
Total number of admissions given out 15,922 1,729
Admitted students who chose to enroll 2,285 296
Yield rate 14.4% 17.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Required Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $27,218
In state: $30,628

Out of state: $47,946
Average net price $13,265 $10,525
Tuition $9,606
In state: $11,214

Out of state: $28,532
Room & board $11,098
Room/dormitory: $6,858

Meal plan: $4,328
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
96.0%
Average amount $13,438
Students receiving federal student loan 58.0%
Average amount $5,313
32.0%
Average amount $4,906
Students taking out private loans 5.0%
Average amount $11,726
4.0%
Average amount $11,359

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 11,834
Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
12,347
Men 42.4% Women 57.6%
Graduate students 4,400
Men 40.8% Women 59.2%
2,842
Men 31.8% Women 68.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students N/A 15.8%
International students 4.6% 2.5%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Small Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 4,500 749
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A Missouri Illinois Wisconsin Kansas Georgia

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Education
  • Health Professions
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Business
  • Education
  • Health Professions
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio 15:1 14:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 50.8% 57.6%
Dropout rate 46.9% 39.0%
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
Optometry (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $88,537
  • Year 2: $95,376
  • Year 3: $107,901
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $87,517
  • Year 2: $79,389
  • Year 3: $94,521
Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $83,539
  • Year 2: $80,718
  • Year 3: $90,859
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,288
  • Year 2: $72,714
  • Year 3: $80,937
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,659
  • Year 2: $61,814
  • Year 3: $78,002
Education, General (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,601
  • Year 2: $67,995
  • Year 3: $69,713
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $58,943
  • Year 3: $69,163
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,377
  • Year 2: $60,523
  • Year 3: $68,717
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,661
  • Year 2: $60,523
  • Year 3: $67,691
Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,713
  • Year 2: $59,350
  • Year 3: $61,121

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