Northern Illinois University (NIU) vs Chamberlain University

Northern Illinois University (NIU) and Chamberlain University-Illinois (CUI) are two distinct institutions of higher learning that cater to diverse student populations and academic aspirations. NIU, a public research university, boasts a sprawling campus in DeKalb, Illinois, while CUI, a private nursing school, has a smaller, focused campus in Addison, Illinois. With acceptance rates of 84% and 100% respectively, both universities welcome students from various backgrounds. NIU offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, including popular majors like Business, Education, and Engineering, while CUI specializes in nursing programs, preparing students for careers in healthcare. While NIU's student body is predominantly undergraduate, CUI's student population is primarily graduate-level. Graduation rates stand at 58% for NIU and 89% for CUI, reflecting the institutions' commitment to student success. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve deeper into the unique characteristics of each

	Chamberlain University-Illinois	Northern Illinois University
Overview
Location	Addison, Illinois	Dekalb, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (For Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	78.0%	67.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	92.9%	70.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $95 Graduate: $60	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	28	22,602
Total number of admissions given out	26	15,922
Admitted students who chose to enroll	16	2,285
Yield rate	61.5%	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	$41,326	$27,218
Average net price	$22,185	$13,265
Tuition	$19,117	$9,606
Room & board		$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 $10,692	98.0% Average amount $13,008
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $6,464	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	13,324 Men 10.5% Women 89.5%	11,834 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	14,420 Men 9.2% Women 90.8%	4,400 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	0.0%	N/A
International students	0.4%	4.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	N/A	4,500
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service	Education Health Professions Business Engineering Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	73.3%	50.8%
Dropout rate	6.7%	46.9%
Transferred out	20.0%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $112,936 Year 2: $127,754 Year 3: $130,529 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,445 Year 2: $90,893 Year 3: $97,074 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $91,630 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,883 Year 2: $71,315 Year 3: $74,013 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $55,698 Year 2: $54,630 Year 3: $57,101	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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