Northern Illinois University
Dekalb, Illinois · Website
$57,808
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$57,808
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Northern Illinois University is a public 4-year college in Dekalb, Illinois with 11,301 undergraduates and 4,066 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $13,391 a year (tuition and fees $13,248). It admits 70% of applicants and 49% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $57,808 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $22,162 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$13,391
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$13,248
US median $11,837
Admission rate
70%
US median 78%
Completion rate
49%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$22,162
About $235 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$57,808
Rank 918 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $13,391
- Tuition and fees
- $13,248
- Cost of attendance
- $28,851
- Students with a need-based grant
- 47%
- Students with federal loans
- 47%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $10,126
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $9,854
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $12,797
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $17,612
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $21,834
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $14,295 in 2015-16 to $13,248 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 70%
- Undergraduates
- 11,301
- Graduate students
- 4,066
- Part-time students
- 11%
- Women
- 53%
- Students per teacher
- 15
- Completion rate
- 49%
- Retention rate
- 70%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 140
- Endowment
- $114.8M
- Other
- Hispanic-serving
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 918 of 5,094 US colleges and 39 of 189 in Illinois (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IL median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $13,391 | $15,156 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $13,248 | $13,291 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 70% | 77% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 49% | 59% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 70% | 72% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $22,162 | $10,297 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $46,113 | $34,234 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $57,808 | $39,544 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 60% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 73% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
140 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 211 | $21,375 | $33,150 | $49,669 | $50,706 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 153 | $25,000 | $75,557 | Withheld | $88,910 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 146 | $24,545 | $44,214 | $50,385 | $47,382 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory ProgramsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 139 | $22,500 | $31,899 | $55,778 | $61,911 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 122 | $32,950 | $85,140 | $119,872 | $103,485 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 119 | $21,500 | $51,137 | $76,373 | $69,303 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsMaster's | Master's | 118 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 110 | $21,004 | $77,257 | $93,438 | $107,009 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 109 | $21,000 | $52,724 | $73,176 | $68,257 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 105 | $24,300 | $72,505 | Withheld | $124,201 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 101 | $23,125 | $68,069 | $86,999 | $92,135 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 97 | $25,000 | $29,426 | $57,697 | $53,072 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 95 | $23,812 | $38,490 | $55,109 | $56,359 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasMaster's | Master's | 92 | $24,901 | $58,494 | $65,145 | $63,707 |
| LawProfessional | Professional | 90 | $75,688 | $57,561 | $78,459 | $107,773 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 84 | $25,294 | $32,158 | $54,207 | $54,562 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 83 | $15,342 | $63,743 | $83,573 | $76,194 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 80 | $20,000 | $51,128 | $71,040 | $86,176 |
| Special Education and TeachingMaster's | Master's | 76 | $26,549 | $60,274 | $62,066 | $64,397 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 69 | $22,500 | $26,795 | $44,202 | $41,367 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 66 | $22,500 | $38,137 | $52,086 | $57,214 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 63 | $30,020 | $28,342 | $49,147 | $48,568 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 63 | $25,500 | $32,225 | $54,039 | $63,293 |
| Computer ScienceMaster's | Master's | 60 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $145,571 |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, GeneralOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 56 | $27,250 | $62,117 | $81,554 | $80,526 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Dekalb and Illinois on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Illinois
- Homes: Homes for sale in Illinois
Questions and answers
How much does Northern Illinois University cost?
$13,391 a year is the average net price at Northern Illinois University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $13,248, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $28,851. Families earning under $30,000 pay $10,126 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Northern Illinois University?
70% of applicants are admitted to Northern Illinois University. The median admission rate of colleges in Illinois is 77%.
How much do Northern Illinois University graduates earn?
$57,808 a year is the median pay of former Northern Illinois University students who work, 10 years after they started ($46,113 after 6 years). That ranks 918 of 5,094 US colleges and 39 of 189 in Illinois. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Taxation (Master's) at $113,734.
How much student debt do Northern Illinois University graduates have?
$22,162 is the median federal student loan debt of Northern Illinois University graduates, about $235 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 47% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Northern Illinois University?
49% of first-time, full-time students at Northern Illinois University finish within 6 years. 70% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Northern Illinois University?
Psychology, General (211 bachelor's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (153 bachelor's graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (146 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 140 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.