Northern Illinois University (NIU) vs Grand Valley State

Northern Illinois University (NIU) and Grand Valley State University (GVSU) stand out as two prominent universities in their respective regions, offering a diverse range of academic programs and vibrant campus life. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence, they also possess unique characteristics that set them apart. NIU boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students, while GVSU maintains a slightly smaller student body, fostering a more intimate learning environment. In terms of popular majors, NIU excels in fields like nursing, business, and education, while GVSU shines in areas such as engineering, health professions, and business. Discover more intriguing differences between these two universities by exploring the comprehensive comparison table provided, which delves into aspects like student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional details that will help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Grand Valley State University	Northern Illinois University
Overview
Location	Allendale, 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	83.0%	67.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.7%	70.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	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	17,163	22,602
Total number of admissions given out	15,730	15,922
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,807	2,285
Yield rate	24.2%	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	In state: $23,604 Out of state: $29,340	$27,218
Average net price	$16,947	$13,265
Tuition	In state: $13,560 Out of state: $19,296	$9,606
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,380 Meal plan: $3,500	$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)	80.0% Average amount $8,376	98.0% Average amount $13,008
Students receiving federal student loan	50.0% Average amount $5,161	58.0% Average amount $5,313
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $13,024	5.0% Average amount $11,726

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	19,379 Men 38.9% Women 61.1%	11,834 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	3,027 Men 28.0% Women 72.0%	4,400 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	10.6%	N/A
International students	1.8%	4.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	6,012	4,500
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Michigan Illinois Indiana Ohio Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	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	67.1%	50.8%
Dropout rate	15.6%	46.9%
Transferred out	15.4%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $103,525 Year 2: $105,839 Year 3: $111,967 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $91,846 Year 2: $96,539 Year 3: $93,695 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,623 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $83,454 Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,965 Year 2: $68,666 Year 3: $73,434 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,881 Year 2: $62,691 Year 3: $72,792 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,211 Year 2: $65,969 Year 3: $72,474 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,095 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $71,736 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,039 Year 2: $58,479 Year 3: $69,240 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,382 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $68,410 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,161 Year 2: $67,939 Year 3: $68,289	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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