Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Northeastern Illinois University

Students comparing Northeastern Illinois University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Chicago, Illinois3,982 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 46Public universitySmall enrollmentUrban campus

The short answer

Northeastern Illinois University: U.S. News ranks it #148 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #211 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #324 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #396 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 3,982 undergraduates, admits 74.6% of applicants, and posts a 21.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $22,726; aid recipients pay $14,109 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $52,234.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
74.6%

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$14,109

57% below the $33,116 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$52,234

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
21.6%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$14,600

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedNortheastern Illinois University reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Northeastern Illinois ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (Midwest)#148of 165Regional univ. (Midwest)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#211of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#324of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#396of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Northeastern Illinois's position moves 76 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Northeastern Illinois

Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution in Chicago, Illinois. Federal data show 52.3% first-year retention and a 12:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $14,109 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $33,116 sticker cost against $14,109 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Northeastern Illinois University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$12,383

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$22,726

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$10,390

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $33,116 a year, but the average family pays $14,109 — a 57% difference. 55.7% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Northeastern Illinois's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    12:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    52.3%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    3,982

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Northeastern Illinois: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $22,726 and on-campus room and board is $10,390, for a published total of $33,116 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $14,109.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 74.6%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Wichita State University

    Wichita, KSPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Wichita State University: U.S. News ranks it #273 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #361 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #397 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #455 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 10,780 undergraduates, admits 94.0% of applicants, and posts a 51.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $19,869; aid recipients pay $13,194 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $51,532.

    Acceptance rate
    94.0%
    Average net price
    $13,194
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $51,532
    6-yr graduation rate
    51.0%
    US News · National universities#273 of 436Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#361 of 1,504WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#397 of 500+1 more on profile

    10,780 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 46 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Indiana University-Indianapolis

    Indianapolis, INPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Indiana University-Indianapolis: U.S. News ranks it #192 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #319 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #140 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #336 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #164 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #1048 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 13,830 undergraduates, admits 76.4% of applicants, and posts a 54.4% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $34,891; aid recipients pay $11,668 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $55,198.

    Acceptance rate
    76.4%
    Average net price
    $11,668
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $55,198
    6-yr graduation rate
    54.4%
    US News · National universities#192 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#319 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#140 of 1,504+3 more on profile

    13,830 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 43 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of North Carolina at Greensboro

    Greensboro, NCPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of North Carolina at Greensboro: U.S. News ranks it #198 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #103 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #380 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #271 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #1375 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 14,062 undergraduates, admits 88.5% of applicants, and posts a 56.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $24,012; aid recipients pay $10,965 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $48,160.

    Acceptance rate
    88.5%
    Average net price
    $10,965
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $48,160
    6-yr graduation rate
    56.3%
    US News · National universities#198 of 436Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#103 of 1,504WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#380 of 500+4 more on profile

    14,062 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 46 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Northeastern Illinois against these