Bowie State vs Northern Illinois University (NIU)

Bowie State University and Northern Illinois University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Bowie State, a historically Black university located in Maryland, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on liberal arts and social justice. Northern Illinois, a public research university in Illinois, is known for its comprehensive academic programs, including engineering, business, and the arts. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to diverse student populations and offer distinct pathways to success. Explore the comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bowie State University	Northern Illinois University
Overview
Location	Bowie, Maryland	Dekalb, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Small
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	72.0%	67.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.0%	70.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60
SAT range	840 - 1020	N/A
ACT range	17 - 20	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%
Students submitting ACT score	1.0%
Total number of applicants	4,978	22,602
Total number of admissions given out	4,333	15,922
Admitted students who chose to enroll	913	2,285
Yield rate	21.1%	14.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $26,504 Out of state: $37,244	$27,218
Average net price	$14,290	$13,265
Tuition	In state: $5,760 Out of state: $16,500	$9,606
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,616 Meal plan: $4,842	$11,098
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	78.0% Average amount $9,115	98.0% Average amount $13,008
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,364	58.0% Average amount $5,313
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,572	5.0% Average amount $11,726

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,381 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%	11,834 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	927 Men 31.8% Women 68.2%	4,400 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	2.8%	4.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,600	4,500
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Psychology Education Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Education Health Professions Business Engineering Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	41.9%	50.8%
Dropout rate	24.0%	46.9%
Transferred out	30.0%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,317 Year 2: $95,473 Year 3: $104,121 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,584 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $73,718 Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,055 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $67,579 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,606 Year 2: $59,045 Year 3: $66,119 Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,270 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $55,369 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,731 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $53,272 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $50,897 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,964 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $48,228 Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,607 Year 2: $27,048 Year 3: $43,708 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,158 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $41,986	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

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