Northern Illinois University
Public Research University in Dekalb, IL. Six-year graduation rate 49%. Median 10-year earnings $57,808.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $57,808 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. The six-year graduation rate is 49%, meaning about one in two students who start do not finish. Median debt at graduation is $22,162, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Northern Illinois University accepts 70% of applicants, which makes it accessible to most students who meet the baseline requirements. The applicant pool is large — 23,651 in the most recent cycle — so the published rate reflects genuine competition rather than a small-sample quirk. Only 12% of admitted students enroll — the great majority of admits go elsewhere or nowhere.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Northern Illinois University →Academics
Six-year completion sits at 49%, meaning about one in two students who enroll leave without finishing. First-year retention is 70% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. Retention drops to 30% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. A 15:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 11,277 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $14,243 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. Aid is steeply need-based: families in the $0–30k band pay $10,126 while those at $110k+ pay $21,834. 86% of students get grant aid averaging $12,589, so the published price is a poor guide to what most pay. Federal borrowing reaches 47% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 2,179 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $10,126 |
| $30–48k | $9,854 |
| $48–75k | $12,797 |
| $75–110k | $17,612 |
| $110k+ | $21,834 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 5,306 of these 11,277 students, totalling $34,721,358 — an average of $6,544 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (DeKalb County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)