OU-Athens vs Northern Illinois University (NIU)

Ohio University-Main Campus and Northern Illinois University, both public research universities, offer distinct educational experiences. Ohio University boasts a higher acceptance rate (84%) compared to Northern Illinois University (73%), making it a more accessible option for prospective students. While Northern Illinois University has a slightly larger student body, Ohio University offers a more diverse student population. Both universities excel in different academic areas; Ohio University is known for its strong programs in journalism and communications, while Northern Illinois University is recognized for its engineering and nursing programs. With comparable graduation rates, both institutions provide students with the opportunity to succeed and pursue their career aspirations. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about the unique strengths and offerings of each university and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic goals and preferences.

	Northern Illinois University	Ohio University-Main Campus
Overview
Location	Dekalb, Illinois	Athens, Ohio
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	Town: Distant
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%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	70.4%	88.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	1070 - 1290
ACT range	N/A	22 - 27
Students submitting SAT score		12.0%
Students submitting ACT score		49.0%
Total number of applicants	22,602	21,733
Total number of admissions given out	15,922	19,245
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,285	3,664
Yield rate	14.4%	19.0%
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: $28,616 Out of state: $38,586
Average net price	$13,265	$20,496
Tuition	$9,606	In state: $12,840 Out of state: $22,810
Room & board	$11,098	Room/dormitory: $7,308 Meal plan: $6,918
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $13,008	99.0% Average amount $8,756
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $5,313	49.0% Average amount $4,890
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $11,726	8.0% Average amount $10,581

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,834 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	18,399 Men 39.6% Women 60.4%
Graduate students	4,400 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%	6,398 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	15.7%
International students	4.6%	3.9%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	4,500	7,173
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Ohio Pennsylvania Illinois New York West Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Engineering Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Business Education Communication and Journalism Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.8%	66.9%
Dropout rate	46.9%	4.1%
Transferred out	N/A	27.6%
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	Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,330 Year 2: $100,690 Year 3: $103,464 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,459 Year 2: $97,959 Year 3: $101,078 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,050 Year 2: $87,051 Year 3: $94,807 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,017 Year 2: $90,283 Year 3: $94,522 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $73,933 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $84,182 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $69,081 Year 2: $70,719 Year 3: $74,325 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,115 Year 2: $67,202 Year 3: $72,469 Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $55,332 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $70,864 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,736 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $70,825 Air Transportation (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,402 Year 2: $50,465 Year 3: $69,646

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OU-Athens vs Northern Illinois University (NIU)

Northern Illinois University

Ohio University-Main Campus

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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