More selective than 63% of Illinois colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $28,851. College Scorecard.
Higher than 27% of Illinois colleges we cover and 40% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 46% of Illinois colleges we cover and 64% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Northern Illinois University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 24,177 applicants, Northern Illinois University admitted 17,033 and 2,202 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Northern Illinois University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Illinois residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Northern Illinois University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Northern Illinois University took 4.4 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Illinois. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $10,126 | $44,453 | 2.0 years |
| $30–48k | $9,854 | $43,259 | 2.0 years |
| $48–75k | $12,797 | $56,179 | 2.6 years |
| $75–110k | $17,612 | $77,317 | 3.5 years |
| $110k+ | $21,834 | $95,851 | 4.4 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.4 years, the average time graduates took (33% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($57,808) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $22,011 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Northern Illinois University majors, earnings & careers
Northern Illinois University offers 57 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 10
- Health & Medicine · 9
- Humanities & Languages · 8
- Science & Math · 8
- Business & Finance · 7
- Engineering · 6
- Arts & Design · 3
- Education · 3
- Communications & Media · 2
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at Northern Illinois University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical Engineering | $93,962 | $25,000 |
| Computer Science | $93,438 | $22,966 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $86,999 | $25,000 |
| Finance | $86,511 | $19,500 |
| Accounting | $83,573 | $18,500 |
| Industrial Engineering | $82,584 | $23,750 |
| Engineering Technologies / Technicians | $81,554 | $27,274 |
| Medical Laboratory Science | $76,856 | $23,750 |
Quick list of all 57 majors
- Accounting$83,573
- Air Force ROTC, Air Science and Operations—
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Anthropology$54,890
- Apparel and Textiles$68,636
- Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology$49,198
- Biology$52,086
- Biomedical Engineering—
- Business Administration$73,176
- Chemistry$65,611
- Communications$55,109
- Computer Science$93,438
- Criminology—
- Dietetics$55,221
- Economics$66,760
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$50,385
- Education (Subject Teaching)$53,672
- Electrical Engineering$93,962
- Engineering—
- Engineering Technologies / Technicians$81,554
- English$47,981
- Environmental Science / Conservation$54,666
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Finance$86,511
- Geography$47,738
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- History$46,086
- Hospitality Management$58,546
- Human Development and Family Studies$49,147
- Human Services$49,514
- Industrial Engineering$82,584
- Journalism$50,658
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$54,207
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$57,697
- Management Science / Analytics$71,040
- Marketing$76,373
- Mathematics$69,856
- Mechanical Engineering$86,999
- Medical Laboratory Science$76,856
- Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions$55,586
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music$40,398
- Nursing—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$54,039
- Pre-Med / Pre-Health$55,778
- Psychology$49,669
- Public Health—
- Sociology$58,023
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$51,151
- Special Education$53,148
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$49,653
- Statistics—
- Studio Art$44,202
- Theatre$36,777
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Communications → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Chicago
Overall prices in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,481. Housing costs 12% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 37 inches of rain a year, 33 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, DeKalb County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
DeKalb County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Northern Illinois University with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Illinois by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Illinois University | 70% | $13,391 | 49% | $57,808 | This school |
| Western Illinois University | 71% | $12,937 | 45% | $54,163 | |
| Eastern Illinois University | 65% | $12,786 | 47% | $51,989 | |
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 87% | $13,297 | 62% | $53,390 | |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 98% | $14,889 | 57% | $56,346 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Northern Illinois University would cost you $454 more per year than Western Illinois University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Northern Illinois University, mostly from higher housing & meal costs (+$1,880).
- Northern Illinois University gives aided families $143 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Illinois resident | Northern Illinois University | Western Illinois University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $13,248 | $15,264 | −$2,016 |
| Books & supplies | $1,300 | $1,200 | +$100 |
| Housing & meals | $12,800 | $10,920 | +$1,880 |
| Personal & travel | $2,836 | $1,776 | +$1,060 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,333 | −$906 | −$427 |
| Sticker price | $28,851 | $28,254 | +$597 |
| Average grants | −$15,460 | −$15,317 | −$143 |
| You pay | $13,391 | $12,937 | +$454 |
“+” means Northern Illinois University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Northern Illinois University
What is the Northern Illinois University acceptance rate?
Northern Illinois University accepts 70% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 17,033 of 24,177 applicants were admitted.
How much does Northern Illinois University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $28,851 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $13,391 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $10,126 and families earning $110k+ pay $21,834.
How much do Northern Illinois University graduates earn?
Former Northern Illinois University students earn a median $57,808 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Northern Illinois University graduation rate?
49% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 70% return for their second year.
How long does a Northern Illinois University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Northern Illinois University costs about $56,179 after grants ($12,797 a year for 4.4 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $57,808 ten years after starting, $22,011 more than high school graduates in Illinois ($35,797), so the cost is repaid in 2.6 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Northern Illinois University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/northern-illinois-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).