Saint Xavier University vs Northern Illinois University (NIU)

Saint Xavier University and Northern Illinois University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Illinois, offer distinct educational experiences. Saint Xavier, a private Catholic university, boasts a smaller student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to Northern Illinois, a public research university. While Northern Illinois offers a wider range of undergraduate and graduate programs, Saint Xavier excels in nursing, business, and education. Both universities have diverse student bodies, with Northern Illinois having a slightly larger international student population. When it comes to graduation rates, Saint Xavier has a higher four-year graduation rate, while Northern Illinois has a higher six-year graduation rate. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Northern Illinois University	Saint Xavier University
Overview
Location	Dekalb, Illinois	Chicago, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	67.0%	78.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	70.4%	84.8%
Application fees	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	22,602	7,780
Total number of admissions given out	15,922	6,597
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,285	747
Yield rate	14.4%	11.3%
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	$47,434
Average net price	$13,265	$13,419
Tuition	$9,606	$33,960
Room & board	$11,098	Room/dormitory: $6,720 Meal plan: $4,920
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	100.0% Average amount $27,598
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $5,313	90.0% Average amount $4,736
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $11,726	5.0% Average amount $11,773

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,834 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	3,101 Men 37.0% Women 63.0%
Graduate students	4,400 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%	648 Men 24.1% Women 75.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	7.0%
International students	4.6%	N/A
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,500	510
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Illinois Indiana Missouri Ohio Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Engineering Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Education Business Computer and Information Science Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.8%	51.8%
Dropout rate	46.9%	15.2%
Transferred out	N/A	32.3%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,631 Year 2: $89,435 Year 3: $94,608 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,667 Year 2: $71,957 Year 3: $76,008 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,595 Year 2: $65,475 Year 3: $67,457 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,993 Year 2: $64,196 Year 3: $66,878 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,898 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $62,524 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,500 Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $61,859 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,537 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $59,708 Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,685 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $57,683 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,656 Year 2: $54,252 Year 3: $56,224 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $54,743

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Saint Xavier University vs Northern Illinois University (NIU)

Northern Illinois University

Saint Xavier University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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