# Northern Illinois University

Public college in Dekalb, IL. IPEDS ID 147703.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/northern-illinois-university · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/northern-illinois-university.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 70% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $13,391 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 49%; beats 27% of IL colleges and 40% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $57,808; beats 46% of IL colleges and 64% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $16,250

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $10,126 |
| 30-48k | $9,854 |
| 48-75k | $12,797 |
| 75-110k | $17,612 |
| 110k+ | $21,834 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, in-state. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.39 years on average (33% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $57,808 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| 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 |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $28,851 in-state; about $28,851 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $13,248 in-state, $13,248 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $12,800; books: $1,300

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: not reported; SAT math: not reported; ACT: not reported (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 24,177 applicants, 17,033 admitted, 2,202 enrolled; test scores not considered
- Fall 2024: acceptance 70%, ACT not reported (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 71%, ACT not reported (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (57 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Engineering | $74,442 | $93,962 | $25,000 |
| Computer Science | $77,257 | $93,438 | $22,966 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $68,069 | $86,999 | $25,000 |
| Finance | $54,802 | $86,511 | $19,500 |
| Accounting | $63,743 | $83,573 | $18,500 |
| Industrial Engineering | $72,112 | $82,584 | $23,750 |
| Engineering Technologies / Technicians | $62,117 | $81,554 | $27,274 |
| Medical Laboratory Science | $70,654 | $76,856 | $23,750 |
| Marketing | $51,137 | $76,373 | $23,875 |
| Business Administration | $52,724 | $73,176 | $22,500 |
| Management Science / Analytics | $51,128 | $71,040 | $21,600 |
| Mathematics | $44,857 | $69,856 | $25,044 |
| Apparel and Textiles | not reported | $68,636 | not reported |
| Economics | $45,386 | $66,760 | $25,879 |
| Chemistry | $43,061 | $65,611 | $23,023 |
| Hospitality Management | $32,337 | $58,546 | $25,001 |
| Sociology | $35,150 | $58,023 | $27,000 |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | $29,426 | $57,697 | $30,839 |
| Pre-Med / Pre-Health | $31,899 | $55,778 | $27,000 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | $41,139 | $55,586 | $29,804 |
| Dietetics | $29,911 | $55,221 | $27,000 |
| Communications | $38,490 | $55,109 | $27,000 |
| Anthropology | not reported | $54,890 | not reported |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $36,409 | $54,666 | $26,625 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $32,158 | $54,207 | $27,418 |
| Political Science | $32,225 | $54,039 | $27,000 |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | $45,184 | $53,672 | $26,746 |
| Special Education | $46,578 | $53,148 | $21,452 |
| Biology | $38,137 | $52,086 | $23,630 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $40,586 | $51,151 | $21,250 |
| Journalism | $31,753 | $50,658 | $25,750 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $44,214 | $50,385 | $25,250 |
| Psychology | $33,150 | $49,669 | $24,194 |
| Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders | $34,136 | $49,653 | $22,500 |
| Human Services | $29,062 | $49,514 | $27,000 |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | not reported | $49,198 | $26,500 |
| Human Development and Family Studies | $28,342 | $49,147 | $31,000 |
| English | $34,122 | $47,981 | $25,375 |
| Geography | not reported | $47,738 | not reported |
| History | $33,288 | $46,086 | $22,500 |
| Studio Art | $26,795 | $44,202 | $25,781 |
| Music | $42,830 | $40,398 | $29,000 |
| Theatre | $23,517 | $36,777 | $27,000 |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biomedical Engineering | $54,047 | not reported | $20,521 |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Statistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Air Force ROTC, Air Science and Operations | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Criminology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Public Health | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Nursing | $75,557 | not reported | $31,000 |

## Major to career
- Communications → Public relations specialist: median wage $77,050 (Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN), $76,380 (IL), $74,750 (U.S.)
- Business Administration → Management analyst: median wage $105,090 (Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN), $104,270 (IL), $101,860 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).