by our College Data Analytics TeamNortheastern Illinois University is a public institution in Chicago, Illinois enrolling 3,982 undergraduates. It accepts 75% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 22%, below the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #870 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 17%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Northeastern Illinois University ranks #870 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 17%.
College Factual recognizes the best colleges and universities in its annual rankings. These rankings include categories for best overall colleges, best colleges for each major, best value schools, and much more.
Northeastern Illinois University was awarded 43 badges in the 2027 rankings.
College Factual ranked NEIU as #870 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 20% of all schools in the nation.
NEIU also holds the #44 spot on the Best Colleges in Illinois ranking.
See all of the rankings for Northeastern Illinois University.
Northeastern Illinois University has an acceptance rate of 75%, which makes it somewhat selective. Make sure it’s not the only school you apply to, even if it’s your school of choice. Whether you get in or not will largely depend on how you compare to other applicants.
Learn more about Northeastern Illinois University admissions.
At NEIU, the student to faculty ratio is an excellent 9 to 1. That’s much better than the national average of 15 to 1. This indicates that many classes will probably be small, and students will have ample opportunities to work closely with their professors and classmates.
In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Northeastern Illinois University is 68%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate is a sign of how many full-time students like a college or university well enough to come back for their sophomore year. At Northeastern Illinois University this rate is 52%, which is a bit lower than the national average of 68%.
When we say that a student has graduated on time, we mean that they have finished their bachelor’s degree within four years. The on-time graduation rate at NEIU is 22%. That’s lower than the national rate of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Northeastern Illinois University.
During the most recent academic year, there were 3,982 undergraduates at NEIU.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Northeastern Illinois University.
The average net price of NEIU is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $13,709 | $12,824 | $15,077 | $20,464 | $25,001 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of NEIU, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At NEIU, approximately 19% of students took out student loans averaging $7,232 a year. That adds up to $28,928 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 5.3%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for Northeastern Illinois University.
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern Illinois University make about $52,234 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. This is in the same neighborhood of the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. However, certain majors may produce higher-paying graduates.
See which majors at Northeastern Illinois University make the most money.
Northeastern Illinois University is an public institution situated in Chicago, Illinois. The location of the school is great for students who enjoy the amenities of city life. Get more details about the location of Northeastern Illinois University.
Contact details for Northeastern Illinois University are listed below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 5500 N Saint Louis Ave, Chicago, IL 60625-4699 |
| Phone: | 7735834050 |
| Website: | www.neiu.edu/ |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/NEIUlife |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/NEIUlife |
During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 23 majors graduated from Northeastern Illinois University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 1,307 | NA |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 122 | $45,479 |
| Social Work | 112 | $34,727 |
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 101 | $34,313 |
| Computer Science | 97 | $52,326 |
| Educational Administration | 65 | $72,937 |
| General Psychology | 64 | $29,483 |
| Special Education | 55 | $55,083 |
| Communication & Media Studies | 46 | $30,555 |
| Accounting | 45 | $44,263 |
2,560 students took at least one online class at Northeastern Illinois University.
Online learning is becoming popular at even the oldest colleges and universities in the United States. Not only are online classes great for returning adults with busy schedules, they are also frequented by a growing number of traditional students.
Learn more about online learning at Northeastern Illinois University.
Want to see how other colleges compare to NEIU? Compare them side by side using College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References