Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, IL · Public · Graduate degree-granting

A public institution in Dekalb, Illinois, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, Northern Illinois University serves students across multiple degree programs. With 11,301 students, it is a mid-size institution. Graduates earn a median of $57,808 ten years after enrollment, which is 42% above the national median of $40,747. The graduation rate is 49.2%. On the financial side, median graduate debt is $22,162, yielding an earnings-to-debt ratio of 2.61x. The average net price after financial aid is $13,391 per year. The most popular programs include Psychology, Registered Nursing, Teacher Education, Health Services Administration & Management, and Business Administration & Management.

Key Outcomes

Median Earnings (10yr)
$57,808
Graduation Rate
49.2%
Median Debt
$22,162
Average Net Price
$13,391
Earnings-to-Cost Ratio
1.08x
Earnings-to-Debt Ratio
2.61x

Admissions & Enrollment

Total Enrollment
11,301
Admission Rate
69.8%
Average SAT
Not reported
Retention Rate
69.6%

Cost

In-State Tuition
$13,248
Out-of-State Tuition
$13,248
Pell Grant Rate
47.3%
Federal Loan Rate
46.7%

Net Cost by Family Income

Income $0–$30K
$10,126
Income $30K–$48K
$9,854
Income $48K–$75K
$12,797
Income $110K+
$21,834

Student Demographics

Women
53.5%
White
41.9%
Black
21.0%
Hispanic
25.8%
Asian
6.4%
Two or More Races
1.6%

Student Loan Performance

Repayment Rate (3yr)
60.1%

Accreditations

Programs (124)

Bachelor (51)

Program Median Earnings Completers
Psychology $49,669 211
Registered Nursing Not reported 153
Teacher Education $50,385 146
Health Services Administration & Management $55,778 139
Marketing $76,373 119
Computer Science $93,438 110
Business Administration & Management $73,176 109
Mechanical Engineering $86,999 101
Liberal Arts & Sciences $57,697 97
Communications $55,109 95
Sports & Fitness $54,207 84
Accounting $83,573 83
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods $71,040 80
Fine Arts $44,202 69
Biology $52,086 66
Human Development & Family Studies $49,147 63
Political Science $54,039 63
Engineering Technology $81,554 56
Finance $86,511 56
Special Education $53,148 48
English Language & Literature $47,981 47
Electrical Engineering $93,962 41
Communication Disorders $49,653 41
Secondary Education $53,672 40
Natural Resources Conservation $54,666 36
Sociology $58,023 35
Music $40,398 35
Drama & Theater Arts $36,777 33
History $46,086 33
Mathematics $69,856 31
Romance Languages $51,151 30
Mental Health Services $55,586 26
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition $55,221 23
Clinical Laboratory Science $76,856 20
Apparel and Textiles $68,636 18
Chemistry $65,611 18
Public Administration $49,514 16
Economics $66,760 16
Hospitality Management $58,546 16
Journalism $50,658 15
Biomedical Engineering Not reported 15
Geography $47,738 14
Anthropology $54,890 12
Industrial Engineering $82,584 11
Atmospheric Sciences $49,198 11
Statistics Not reported 9
Geological Sciences Not reported 9
Criminology Not reported 9
Philosophy Not reported 7
Physics Not reported 5
Ethnic & Gender Studies Not reported 3

Master (47)

Program Median Earnings Completers
Business Administration & Management $119,872 122
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods Not reported 118
Computer & Information Sciences Not reported 105
Secondary Education $65,145 92
Special Education $62,066 76
Computer Science Not reported 60
Educational Administration $72,883 55
Marketing Not reported 49
Public Health $74,989 44
Industrial Engineering Not reported 33
Public Administration $82,907 33
Registered Nursing $120,765 32
Music $41,850 30
Educational Assessment $79,429 24
Student Counseling and Personnel Services $59,834 23
Engineering-Related Fields Not reported 18
Biology Not reported 17
Sports & Fitness $65,493 17
Human Development & Family Studies $56,678 16
Communication Disorders $63,768 15
Accounting $101,106 15
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition $66,367 13
Mechanical Engineering $107,338 11
English Language & Literature $50,510 10
Applied Mathematics Not reported 10
Curriculum & Instruction Not reported 9
Mathematics Not reported 9
Philosophy Not reported 9
Psychology Not reported 9
Communications Not reported 8
Electrical Engineering Not reported 8
Geological Sciences Not reported 8
Education $59,110 7
Political Science Not reported 7
Allied Health Diagnostic & Treatment Not reported 7
History Not reported 7
Statistics Not reported 6
Chemistry Not reported 6
Fine Arts $53,301 6
Physics Not reported 5
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions $65,500 5
Educational Media Not reported 4
Teacher Education Not reported 4
Anthropology Not reported 4
Sociology Not reported 4
Geography Not reported 3
Drama & Theater Arts $42,708 2

Doctoral (11)

Program Median Earnings Completers
Educational Administration Not reported 36
Psychology $85,719 12
Student Counseling and Personnel Services Not reported 10
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other Not reported 10
Curriculum & Instruction $117,352 9
Physics Not reported 9
Educational Assessment Not reported 5
Chemistry Not reported 5
Cognitive Psychology Not reported 5
Mathematics Not reported 3
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions $80,885 Not reported

First Professional (4)

Program Median Earnings Completers
Law $78,459 90
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions Not reported 32
Registered Nursing Not reported 9
Communication Disorders Not reported 6

Graduate Certificate (2)

Program Median Earnings Completers
Educational Administration Not reported 19
Music Not reported 9
Show 9 additional programs with limited data
Program Level Completers
Romance Languages Master 2
English Language & Literature Doctoral 2
Cognitive Psychology Graduate Certificate 2
Economics Master 2
Political Science Doctoral 2
History Doctoral 2
Secondary Education Doctoral 1
Sports & Fitness Doctoral 1
Economics Doctoral 1

Rankings Featuring This Institution

Similar Institutions