Lake State vs Northern Illinois University (NIU)

Envision yourself pursuing higher education at either Lake Superior State University (LSSU) in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, or Northern Illinois University (NIU) in DeKalb, Illinois. While both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs and vibrant campus life, they possess distinct characteristics that may influence your decision. LSSU, a public university founded in 1946, boasts a smaller student body, resulting in a more intimate learning environment, while NIU, established in 1895, is a larger public research university with a more extensive course selection. Explore the comparison table below to delve into further details regarding acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, assisting you in determining which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Lake Superior State University	Northern Illinois University
Overview
Location	Sault Ste Marie, Michigan	Dekalb, Illinois
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	67.0%	67.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	73.3%	70.4%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60
SAT range	950 - 1160	N/A
ACT range	18 - 27	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	9.0%
Total number of applicants	2,411	22,602
Total number of admissions given out	1,767	15,922
Admitted students who chose to enroll	373	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	$24,150	$27,218
Average net price	$13,583	$13,265
Tuition	$12,912	$9,606
Room & board	$11,516	$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)	97.0% Average amount $10,820	98.0% Average amount $13,008
Students receiving federal student loan	59.0% Average amount $4,800	58.0% Average amount $5,313
Students taking out private loans	10.0% Average amount $14,945	5.0% Average amount $11,726

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,812 Men 44.2% Women 55.8%	11,834 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	N/A	4,400 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	13.8%	N/A
International students	1.2%	4.6%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	850	4,500
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Michigan Indiana Minnesota Illinois Ohio	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Law Enforcement and Firefighting Business Health Professions Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Education Health Professions Business Engineering Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	52.4%	50.8%
Dropout rate	16.6%	46.9%
Transferred out	27.7%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,165 Year 2: $58,601 Year 3: $60,574 Fire Protection (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $54,778 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,343 Year 2: $39,639 Year 3: $48,561 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,312 Year 3: $47,637 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,532 Year 2: $35,988 Year 3: $41,129 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,840 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $40,637 Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,289 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $34,996 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,914 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: N/A	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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Lake State vs Northern Illinois University (NIU)

Lake Superior State University

Northern Illinois University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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