Northern Illinois University (NIU) vs Purdue University Northwest (PNWU)

Northern Illinois University (NIU) and Purdue University Northwest (PNW) are two distinct universities located in the Midwest, each offering unique educational experiences. NIU, situated in DeKalb, Illinois, boasts a larger student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to PNW, which is based in Hammond, Indiana. While both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs, NIU excels in fields like business, education, and engineering, while PNW specializes in engineering, technology, and nursing. Additionally, NIU has a more diverse student body, with a higher percentage of international students, while PNW has a slightly higher graduation rate. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more, allowing you to assess which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Northern Illinois University	Purdue University Northwest
Overview
Location	Dekalb, Illinois	Hammond, Indiana
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	Suburb: Large
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	67.0%	60.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	70.4%	76.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $60
SAT range	N/A	990 - 1190
ACT range	N/A	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score		38.0%
Students submitting ACT score		8.0%
Total number of applicants	22,602	3,642
Total number of admissions given out	15,922	2,781
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,285	1,067
Yield rate	14.4%	38.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$27,218	In state: $22,356 Out of state: $29,247
Average net price	$13,265	$8,472
Tuition	$9,606	In state: $7,268 Out of state: $14,159
Room & board	$11,098
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $13,008	61.0% Average amount $7,048
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $5,313	34.0% Average amount $4,744
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $11,726	2.0% Average amount $8,768

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,834 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	8,044 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%
Graduate students	4,400 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%	750 Men 34.5% Women 65.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	8.9%
International students	4.6%	3.0%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,500	744
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Indiana Illinois Michigan Ohio Alabama

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.8%	40.3%
Dropout rate	46.9%	54.6%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,613 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $95,054 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,723 Year 2: $72,796 Year 3: $83,022 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $74,625 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,537 Year 2: $62,260 Year 3: $73,252 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,599 Year 2: $65,123 Year 3: $66,736 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,724 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $65,341 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,367 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $51,672 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,277 Year 2: $39,214 Year 3: $49,646 Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,212 Year 2: $33,565 Year 3: $44,921 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,032 Year 2: $30,554 Year 3: $41,841

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Northern Illinois University (NIU) vs Purdue University Northwest (PNWU)

Northern Illinois University

Purdue University Northwest

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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