Northeastern Illinois University Admission
Northeastern Illinois University Undergraduate Program
Northeastern Illinois University Application

The Facts

Northeastern Illinois University is a moderately sized, public, liberal arts institution located in the city of Chicago, Illinois, and is home to over 4,000 undergraduate students and approximately 3,800 graduate and part-time professional students. The school has been around for quite some time, and was founded in the year 1867 as a place for students to have a tried and true liberal arts education. The university is actually divided up into several smaller graduate and undergraduate colleges including schools of arts and sciences, business management, and education. The schools offer degrees in the broad areas of agriculture, biological science, communications and the arts, computer and physical science, education, and social sciences. The school is perhaps best known for its agriculture and environmental studies program, as well as for its marketing and retailing programs. Some of the most popular majors include education, business, and computer science.

Admission to Northeastern Illinois University is not competitivt; most students who apply are accepted. The students who do apply tend to have been at least moderately successful in high school; in fact, all students must have an ACT score of at least 19 in order to be considered for admission. Last year, over 2,000 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 1,800 of those students were accepted; of those, about 900 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 990 to 1010, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 20 to 25. Additionally, more than 35% of those admitted were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 3.4.

Northeastern Illinois University has a very manageable student to faculty ratio of 14:1, and most students say that this is one of the best parts of attending the school. They receive quite a bit of one-on-one attention from their professors, and are able to participate in quite a bit of hands-on activity and research. The professors also get high marks from students in terms of accessibility and willingness to help students out when they may need assistance.

The Social Scene

NIU is not actually located in downtown Chicago, but just northwest of it. Students are able to use Chicago’s efficient public transit system to go to many parts of the city, where they can take advantage of the plentiful and vibrant nightlife, entertainment, cuisine, shopping, and culture. Most students do own cars, and we hear that weekend mini-road trips up to the nearby Six Flags theme park are quite popular as well. There is only one sorority at the school, and no fraternities, so the Greek influence is minimal. Most students throw parties in their dorm rooms, or just get a fake ID if they aren’t 21, and head out to Chicago area bars and clubs.

The dating scene is amazing if you are a guy; there are about twice as many girls, so you can guarantee at least one date during your college career...

What’s Good

“The professors are extremely compassionate, and you feel genuinely cared for while you’re here.”

“It’s nice going to school in Chicago; you have the advantages of the city, but there are plenty of escapes available.”

“The tuition is extremely low, and you get a really solid education for the low price.”

What’s Bad

“There are a lot of people going here that don’t really seem to care about school. It gets annoying for those of us that actually do care.”

“The dorms are in really bad shape; things are constantly breaking and needing to be repaired.”

“The computer resources are really lousy here; you have to bring all your own equipment if you want to get anything done.”

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