Great LakesSuburbanPublic4-yearBusiness & Marketing

Northern Illinois University

Honest, data-backed view of how admissions actually work here.

Dekalb, IL11,277 students
Acceptance Rate
70%
moderate
Median SAT
Net Price After Aid
$12.9k
Sticker $12.7k
Graduation Rate
50%
6-year, full-time

Northern Illinois University is a public institution in Dekalb, IL with an acceptance rate of 70% and 11,277 students. The average net price after financial aid is $12,909 per year.

About Northern Illinois University

A public 4-year suburban university in Dekalb, IL.

Northern Illinois University is a college in Dekalb, IL. It enrolls roughly 11,277 students. The most recent acceptance rate is 70%.

Great LakesSuburbanPublic4-yearBusiness & Marketing
Acceptance Rate
70%
Moderate
Total Enrollment
11,277
Large
Retention
70%
First-years returning
Graduation Rate
50%
6-year, full-time

Your chances at this school

A clear-eyed view of how your profile compares to admitted students — and the things that would move your odds the most.

Acceptance Rate
70%
70 of every 100 applicants admitted
Your Chances
Sign in to see your personalized probability.
Admitted Student GPA
3.37
Average across admitted students

Honest, data-backed view of how admissions actually work here. Here is what would make your application as competitive as possible.

Things that would move your odds the most

  1. Maintain a GPA of 3.37 or higher
    Admitted students typically present grades at or above this level.
  2. Build a single deep extracurricular peak
    Depth beats breadth at selective schools — one nationally-visible accomplishment outperforms ten clubs.
  3. Strengthen one teacher recommendation
    A specific, personal letter from a teacher who knows your work moves the needle.

Probability is based on a model trained on historical admissions data. It is a guide, not a guarantee. Admissions decisions weigh essays, recommendations, and fit factors that aren't in the data.

Admissions

What it actually takes to get into Northern Illinois University. Test scores, GPA, application requirements, and deadlines.

Cost & financial aid

Published costs can be misleading. Here's what families actually pay at Northern Illinois University after grants and scholarships.

Sticker price
Tuition $12,700
Average net price after aid
$12,909
After grants and scholarships

Net price by family income

Average amount paid out of pocket — tuition, fees, and room & board minus all grant aid.

$0 – $30,000
$9,047
$30,001 – $48,000
$9,740
$48,001 – $75,000
$12,674
$75,001 – $110,000
N/A
$110,001 +
$21,307

Net price represents the average cost after grants and scholarships for students receiving federal financial aid.

Pell Grant Recipients
46%
Need-based federal grant
Take Federal Loans
49%
Avg loan $16,250 / year
Avg Grant Aid
Per receiving student / year

Academics & majors

Where students at Northern Illinois University concentrate, and how the classroom experience scales.

Student : Faculty
Class-size proxy
Primary Focus
Business & Marketing
18% of degrees awarded
Retention
70%
First-years returning
A breakdown of the top majors by share of degrees awarded ships once we finish backfilling per-school program data.

Student body

Who attends Northern Illinois University. Enrollment, diversity, and where students come from.

Race & ethnicity

  • White44%
  • Asian7%
  • Hispanic26%
  • Black22%
  • International1%

Gender

  • Female53%
  • Male47%
International
1%
Of total enrollment
Live on Campus
Undergraduate residential rate
Total Enrollment
11,277

Outcomes after graduation

What Northern Illinois University graduates do next — and what they earn.

Median Earnings
$57.8k
10 years after enrollment
Employed at 2 yrs
Working or in grad school
Pursue Grad School
Within 5 years
Graduation Rate
50%
6-year, full-time

What this means

$58k is near the national bachelor's-graduate median at the 10-year mark, and a 50% graduation rate is below the national average.

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