National Louis University (NLU) vs Illinois State

National Louis University and Illinois State University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Illinois, offer distinct educational experiences. National Louis University, a private institution, boasts a smaller student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to Illinois State University, a public university. While both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs, National Louis University is known for its strong focus on education and nursing, while Illinois State University excels in fields like business, engineering, and agriculture. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences, including student demographics, graduation rates, and additional program offerings, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Illinois State University	National Louis University
Overview
Location	Normal, Illinois	Chicago, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	83.0%	61.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.5%	97.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1000 - 1200	N/A
ACT range	21 - 27	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	51.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%
Total number of applicants	11,913	1,518
Total number of admissions given out	10,905	1,473
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,374	558
Yield rate	30.9%	37.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $31,811 Out of state: $43,335	$32,325
Average net price	$21,033	$14,665
Tuition	In state: $11,524 Out of state: $23,048	$10,755
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,494 Meal plan: $4,652
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $10,848	93.0% Average amount $8,931
Students receiving federal student loan	46.0% Average amount $5,065	14.0% Average amount $3,883
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $14,532	1.0% Average amount $19,696

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	17,674 Men 43.0% Women 57.0%	3,607 Men 25.8% Women 74.2%
Graduate students	2,559 Men 35.1% Women 64.9%	3,708 Men 17.5% Women 82.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	4.2%	2.9%
International students	2.8%	1.3%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	5,560	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Missouri Wisconsin Michigan Iowa	Illinois Indiana Arizona California

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science	Education Business Psychology Family and Consumer Sciences Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.3%	33.8%
Dropout rate	32.0%	51.2%
Transferred out	N/A	12.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,556 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $102,485 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,002 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $78,276 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,303 Year 2: $72,884 Year 3: $77,896 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,576 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $73,936 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,516 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $73,592 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,000 Year 2: $64,791 Year 3: $70,358 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,829 Year 2: $65,194 Year 3: $65,533 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,294 Year 2: $54,996 Year 3: $64,567 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,313 Year 2: $52,781 Year 3: $64,241 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,480 Year 2: $54,470 Year 3: $63,207	Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $116,556 Year 2: $86,424 Year 3: $90,466 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,515 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $68,357 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,800 Year 2: $56,234 Year 3: $62,702 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,308 Year 2: $59,921 Year 3: $62,677 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,451 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $59,800 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,872 Year 2: $63,600 Year 3: $59,310 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,332 Year 2: $53,017 Year 3: $57,588 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,059 Year 2: $54,238 Year 3: $55,084 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,097 Year 2: $50,887 Year 3: $53,488 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,720 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $53,026

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National Louis University (NLU) vs Illinois State

Illinois State University

National Louis University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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