Elmhurst University vs Northern Illinois University (NIU)

Elmhurst University and Northern Illinois University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Illinois, offer distinct educational experiences. Elmhurst, a private university, boasts a smaller student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to Northern Illinois, a public research university. While Northern Illinois offers a wider range of academic programs, Elmhurst excels in liberal arts and sciences, with popular majors including Business, Psychology, and Biology. Northern Illinois, on the other hand, is known for its strong programs in Engineering, Education, and Nursing. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences, including student demographics, graduation rates, and cost of attendance, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Elmhurst University	Northern Illinois University
Overview
Location	Elmhurst, Illinois	Dekalb, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	76.0%	67.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	71.3%	70.4%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1013 - 1220	N/A
ACT range	22 - 29	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	9.0%
Total number of applicants	3,762	22,602
Total number of admissions given out	2,682	15,922
Admitted students who chose to enroll	531	2,285
Yield rate	19.8%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$55,536	$27,218
Average net price	$24,018	$13,265
Tuition	$39,100	$9,606
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,428 Meal plan: $4,544	$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)	99.0% Average amount $25,993	98.0% Average amount $13,008
Students receiving federal student loan	65.0% Average amount $5,287	58.0% Average amount $5,313
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $15,454	5.0% Average amount $11,726

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,914 Men 38.5% Women 61.5%	11,834 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	604 Men 33.8% Women 66.2%	4,400 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	2.2%	4.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	964	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 Business Education Psychology Visual & Performing Arts	Education Health Professions Business Engineering Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	68.4%	50.8%
Dropout rate	31.6%	46.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,839 Year 2: $81,997 Year 3: $88,790 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,792 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $86,731 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,229 Year 2: $63,832 Year 3: $66,861 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,535 Year 2: $54,209 Year 3: $65,150 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,244 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $64,665 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,014 Year 2: $51,690 Year 3: $60,665 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $59,776 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,970 Year 2: $36,401 Year 3: $54,414 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,672 Year 2: $45,383 Year 3: $54,289 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,194 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $48,489	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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Elmhurst University vs Northern Illinois University (NIU)

Elmhurst University

Northern Illinois University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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