Northern Illinois University (NIU) vs Eastern Michigan University

Northern Illinois University (NIU) and Eastern Michigan University (EMU) are two public universities located in the Midwestern United States, offering a wide range of academic programs and opportunities. While they share some similarities, there are also several key differences between the two institutions. NIU has a higher acceptance rate (79%) compared to EMU (71%), making it a more accessible option for students. In terms of student body demographics, NIU has a larger undergraduate population (15,862) than EMU (14,283), and a slightly higher percentage of female students (54% vs. 52%). Both universities offer a diverse range of popular majors, with NIU excelling in fields like business, education, and engineering, while EMU is known for its strengths in health professions, technology, and social sciences. When it comes to graduation rates, NIU has a slightly higher four-year graduation rate (33%) compared to EM

	Eastern Michigan University	Northern Illinois University
Overview
Location	Ypsilanti, Michigan	Dekalb, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: 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	69.0%	67.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	84.6%	70.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60
SAT range	930 - 1180	N/A
ACT range	18 - 25	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	55.0%
Students submitting ACT score	8.0%
Total number of applicants	17,506	22,602
Total number of admissions given out	14,811	15,922
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,312	2,285
Yield rate	15.6%	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	$31,022	$27,218
Average net price	$16,311	$13,265
Tuition	$13,950	$9,606
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,450 Meal plan: $5,724	$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)	95.0% Average amount $9,182	98.0% Average amount $13,008
Students receiving federal student loan	48.0% Average amount $5,579	58.0% Average amount $5,313
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $12,079	5.0% Average amount $11,726

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	12,730 Men 38.9% Women 61.1%	11,834 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	2,610 Men 31.9% Women 68.1%	4,400 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	14.2%	N/A
International students	2.7%	4.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	3,290	4,500
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Michigan Ohio Illinois Indiana Florida	N/A

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	48.2%	50.8%
Dropout rate	48.4%	46.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,034 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $78,068 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,313 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $74,479 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,154 Year 2: $73,949 Year 3: $70,947 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,705 Year 2: $59,425 Year 3: $68,573 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $61,218 Year 3: $67,436 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,660 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $65,596 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,000 Year 2: $62,409 Year 3: $64,700 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,397 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $63,891 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,555 Year 2: $54,192 Year 3: $63,676 Science, Technology and Society (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,309 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $62,126	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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