Northern Illinois University (NIU) vs Indiana State

Northern Illinois University (NIU) and Indiana State University (ISU) are two public universities located in the Midwest, offering a wide range of academic programs and opportunities. While they share some similarities, there are also key differences between the two institutions. NIU has a higher acceptance rate (79%) compared to ISU (71%), making it a more accessible option for students. In terms of student body demographics, NIU has a larger undergraduate population (15,862) than ISU (12,283), and a slightly higher percentage of female students (54% vs. 52%). Both universities offer a variety of popular majors, with NIU excelling in fields like business, engineering, and education, while ISU is known for its programs in nursing, health sciences, and teacher education. When it comes to graduation rates, ISU has a slightly higher four-year graduation rate (38%) compared to NIU (35%). To help you make

	Indiana State University	Northern Illinois University
Overview
Location	Terre Haute, Indiana	Dekalb, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Small	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	61.0%	67.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	93.7%	70.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $45	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	12,581	22,602
Total number of admissions given out	11,786	15,922
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,434	2,285
Yield rate	12.2%	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: $24,804 Out of state: $36,068	$27,218
Average net price	$13,653	$13,265
Tuition	In state: $9,318 Out of state: $20,582	$9,606
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,346 Meal plan: $4,284	$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)	94.0% Average amount $8,657	98.0% Average amount $13,008
Students receiving federal student loan	59.0% Average amount $5,979	58.0% Average amount $5,313
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $11,296	5.0% Average amount $11,726

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,704 Men 43.7% Women 56.3%	11,834 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	1,755 Men 36.2% Women 63.8%	4,400 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	17.1%	N/A
International students	2.4%	4.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	3,929	4,500
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Indiana Illinois Ohio Missouri	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Engineering Technologies	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	41.2%	50.8%
Dropout rate	57.4%	46.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,149 Year 2: $98,915 Year 3: $104,293 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,087 Year 2: $97,959 Year 3: $102,110 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $89,625 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $101,146 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,741 Year 2: $67,420 Year 3: $68,209 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,199 Year 2: $61,350 Year 3: $66,936 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,441 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $64,649 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $64,169 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,688 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $63,602 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,294 Year 2: $58,739 Year 3: $61,243 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,232 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $61,153	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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