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Overview
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Financials
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Academic
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Students

Northern Illinois, founded in 1895, is a public university. Programs are offered through the Colleges of Business, Education, Engineering and Engineering Technology, Health and Human Sciences, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Visual and Performing Arts. Its 755-acre campus is located in DeKalb, 65 miles west of Chicago.

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collegeType
Public
studentType
Coed
12,118
Undergraduates
5,841
Men - 48.2%
6,278
Women - 51.8%
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Entrance Difficulty
Minimally difficult
Overall Admission Rate
72% of 23,244 applicants were admitted
Early Action Offered
No
Early Decision Offered
No
Regular Admission Deadline
August 1
Qualifications of Enrolled Freshmen
Average GPA
3.42
SAT Math
Not reported
SAT EBRW
Not reported
ACT Composite
Not reported
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Cost of Attendance
$30,499
Tuition and Fees
$14,181
Room and Board
$13,558
Average Percent of Need Met
72%
Average Freshman Award
$18,908
Average Indebtedness of 2024 Graduates
$27,839
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Academic Calendar System
Semester
General Education/Core Curriculum
Required for most or all students
Full-Time Faculty Teaching Undergraduates
717
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DeKalb Population
43,849
Nearest Metropolitan Area
Chicago
Freshman Housing Guarantee
College offers housing to students
Students in College Housing
37% of all students
Athletic Conferences
NCAA Division I
Mascot
Victor E. Huskie
Sororities
3% of women participate
Fraternities
3% of men participate
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Ethnicity of Students from U.S.
American Indian/Alaskan Native
0.6%
Asian
6.3%
Black/African-American
22.8%
Hispanic/Latino
27.3%
Multi-race (not Hispanic/Latino)
0.9%
Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander
0.1%
White
40.8%
Unknown
1.2%
International Students
1.5% from 61 countries
First-Year Students Returning
73.0%
Students Graduating Within 4 Years
29.4%
Graduates Offered Full-Time Employment Within 6 Months
Not reported
Graduates Pursuing Advanced Study Directly
9.0%
Undergraduate and Undergraduate Financial Aid data displayed on CollegeData’s college profiles is from the 2024-25 academic year.
A portion of the College Profile data is provided under license by:
Peterson's Undergraduate and Undergraduate Financial Aid Databases, copyright © 2026 Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.