Public Graduate Good 65/100

Northeastern Illinois University

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Chicago, Illinois

About Northeastern Illinois University

Thinking about Northeastern Illinois University, a college in Illinois where more students graduate in Education than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Chicago, Illinois. It enrolls 3,982 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
74.6%
Graduation
47.6%
Net Price
$14,109
Median Earnings (10yr)
$52,234
Enrollment
3,982
Student : Faculty
12:1

Accreditor Higher Learning Commission
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
65/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 4
Value 79
Affordability 83
Selectivity 54

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Northeastern Illinois University admits 74.6% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.

Acceptance Rate
74.6%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Test Optional Applicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Northeastern Illinois University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Becoming less selective ↑ 11.9 pts since 2019
58.5%201960.7%202062.1%202162.7%202270.4%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $14,109 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$14,109
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
56%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
19%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$12,383
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$22,726
Room & Board (on-campus)
$10,390
Room & Board (off-campus)
$5,220
Books & Supplies
$1,920
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$5,767
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$5,767
Total Cost of Attendance
$26,960

Application fee: $30 (one-time, due at submission)


Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $13,709
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $12,824
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $15,077
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $20,464
  • Over $110,000
    $25,001

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$2,675
10% percentile
$4,750
25% percentile
$14,600
Median percentile
$19,743
75% percentile
$31,000
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $11,500 ↓ $3,100
No Pell $12,500 ↓ $2,100
Dependent students $9,989 ↓ $4,611
Independent students $13,500 ↓ $1,100
Female students $11,995 ↓ $2,605
Male students $11,750 ↓ $2,850
Pell recipients: 16.1% (2,357 students)No Pell: 17.5% (2,562 students)Dependent students: 14.0% (2,047 students)Independent students: 19.0% (2,767 students)Female students: 16.8% (2,458 students)Male students: 16.5% (2,408 students)Overall Median$14,600
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $8,500, less than completers ($14,600), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

48% of students who start here finish within six years, and 57% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
48%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
57%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $52,234 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$52,234
Earning > $25K
77%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$43,000$45,000$48,000$51,000$53,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$38,300

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$47,600

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$39,300

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$44,800

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$45,300

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $9,300, about 20% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 14.3 pts across 6 years
65.9%1yr69.9%3yr73.6%5yr80.3%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 80% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 3,982 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 51% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
3,982
Part-Time
36%
First-Generation
51%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 52.3% 2,084
White 15.8% 627
Black 12.1% 480
Asian 7.7% 308
Other 2.4% 97
International 1.3% 50
Hispanic: 52.3% (2,084 students)White: 15.8% (627 students)Black: 12.1% (480 students)Asian: 7.7% (308 students)Other: 2.4% (97 students)International: 1.3% (50 students)Total3,982

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Northeastern Illinois University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Large City Chicago, Illinois
Housing
Limited on-campus housing 426 beds
Adult Learners
37% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NAIA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Business graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Northeastern Illinois University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 62 distinct programs across 22 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

9 Programs
2 Programs
2 Programs
1 Program
2 Programs
3 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 12 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
12:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$17,317
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$14M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$84,271
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

240 instructional faculty across 5 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 55 23% $106,820
Associate Professors 90 38% $92,133
Assistant Professors 35 15% $83,589
Instructors 56 23% $52,461
No Rank 4 2% $56,020

Pros & Cons of Northeastern Illinois University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Northeastern Illinois University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Below-average net price
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
  • Wide reach of need-based federal aid
  • First-gen-friendly student body
CONS
  • Below-average completion rate
  • First-year retention is below typical

Frequently Asked Questions about Northeastern Illinois University

The questions families ask most about Northeastern Illinois University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Northeastern Illinois University hard to get into?
Admissions at Northeastern Illinois University are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 74.6%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Northeastern Illinois University?
74.6% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Northeastern Illinois University cost?
Budget around $14,109 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Northeastern Illinois University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $52,234 a year against a net price of $14,109, about 3.7 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Northeastern Illinois University known for?
Mostly Computer Science, Social Work, Teacher Education (K-12). Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Northeastern Illinois University graduates earn?
About $52,234 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Northeastern Illinois University accredited?
Yes. Northeastern Illinois University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Northeastern Illinois University?
3,982 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Northeastern Illinois University?
48% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Northeastern Illinois University a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Northeastern Illinois University located?
Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois.
What programs does Northeastern Illinois University offer?
62 different programs, most commonly Computer Science, Social Work, Teacher Education (K-12). If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Northeastern Illinois University?
12 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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