Northern Illinois University (NIU) vs Kent State

Northern Illinois University (NIU) and Kent State University at Kent (KSU) are two public universities located in the Midwest, offering a wide range of academic programs and opportunities. While both institutions share similarities, they also have distinct differences that may influence a prospective student's decision. This side-by-side comparison delves into key aspects of each university, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. By exploring these differences, students can make an informed choice that aligns with their academic goals and personal preferences.

	Kent State University at Kent	Northern Illinois University
Overview
Location	Kent, Ohio	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	81.0%	67.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.3%	70.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1000 - 1210	N/A
ACT range	19 - 25	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	18.0%
Students submitting ACT score	66.0%
Total number of applicants	19,881	22,602
Total number of admissions given out	17,359	15,922
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,050	2,285
Yield rate	23.3%	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	In state: $27,954 Out of state: $36,830	$27,218
Average net price	$18,947	$13,265
Tuition	In state: $11,774 Out of state: $20,650	$9,606
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,417 Meal plan: $5,666	$11,098
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $8,401	98.0% Average amount $13,008
Students receiving federal student loan	56.0% Average amount $5,405	58.0% Average amount $5,313
Students taking out private loans	10.0% Average amount $13,210	5.0% Average amount $11,726

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	21,133 Men 37.7% Women 62.3%	11,834 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	5,464 Men 33.3% Women 66.7%	4,400 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	19.7%	N/A
International students	5.2%	4.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	5,674	4,500
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Ohio Pennsylvania New York Illinois Michigan	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Communication and Journalism	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	67.7%	50.8%
Dropout rate	9.4%	46.9%
Transferred out	21.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,715 Year 2: $89,685 Year 3: $100,554 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,015 Year 2: $72,734 Year 3: $77,710 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,597 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $77,296 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,552 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $75,264 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,262 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $66,878 Computer Systems Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,914 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $65,790 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,436 Year 2: $57,619 Year 3: $65,215 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $55,674 Year 2: $53,108 Year 3: $65,118 Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,124 Year 2: $49,019 Year 3: $63,596 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,648 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $63,476	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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