Chicago State vs Northern Illinois University (NIU)

When it comes to higher education in Illinois, Chicago State University (CSU) and Northern Illinois University (NIU) stand out as two prominent choices. While both offer a diverse range of academic programs and a vibrant campus life, they also have distinct characteristics that set them apart. CSU, located in the heart of Chicago, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a more diverse student body, while NIU, situated in DeKalb, offers a wider selection of undergraduate and graduate programs and a higher graduation rate. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into the specifics of each university, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Chicago State University	Northern Illinois University
Overview
Location	Chicago, Illinois	Dekalb, Illinois
Campus setting	City: 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	41.0%	67.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	47.5%	70.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	4,805	22,602
Total number of admissions given out	2,281	15,922
Admitted students who chose to enroll	168	2,285
Yield rate	7.4%	14.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$26,179	$27,218
Average net price	$4,846	$13,265
Tuition	$7,488	$9,606
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,000 Meal plan: $4,400	$11,098
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	95.0% Average amount $17,067	98.0% Average amount $13,008
Students receiving federal student loan	92.0% Average amount $3,945	58.0% Average amount $5,313
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	5.0% Average amount $11,726

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,502 Men 30.7% Women 69.3%	11,834 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	864 Men 30.0% Women 70.0%	4,400 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	6.0%	4.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	300	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	Health Professions Psychology Business Education Liberal Arts	Education Health Professions Business Engineering Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	21.0%	50.8%
Dropout rate	31.5%	46.9%
Transferred out	43.8%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $105,786 Year 2: $120,252 Year 3: $126,376 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,021 Year 2: $68,858 Year 3: $70,334 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,393 Year 2: $61,814 Year 3: $69,196 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,652 Year 2: $39,639 Year 3: $50,599 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $40,368 Year 3: $48,532 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,049 Year 2: $36,437 Year 3: $40,472 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,389 Year 2: $29,443 Year 3: $37,767 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,482 Year 2: $37,856 Year 3: $37,056 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,460 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $32,295 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,067 Year 2: $27,358 Year 3: $31,994	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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Chicago State vs Northern Illinois University (NIU)

Chicago State University

Northern Illinois University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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