by our College Data Analytics TeamThis overview covers the essential stats on Northern Illinois University Graduate School, including its rankings, graduate degree programs, diversity, and more. You can jump to any section of this page using the following list.
College Factual began publishing its yearly rankings to help students identify graduate schools that put a high emphasis on educational quality as well as helping students succeed.Our methodology places a high weight on things such as post-graduation wages, time to graduate, and student-per-faculty ratio. Post-graduation debt, faculty and staff diversity, and other factors are also taken into account.
Out of the 4,630 colleges and universities analyzed in College Factual’s 2026 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the U.S. ranking, Northern Illinois University took the #303 spot.NIU also ranked #14 for Best Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois.
Of the 4,630 institutions of higher learning that were examined in the 2026 Best Doctorate Schools in the United States ranking, NIU came in at #303.NIU also ranked #14 for Best Doctorate Degree Schools in Illinois.
### Best Graduate Certificate Schools RankingNIU ranked #303 in College Factual’s 2026 Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the United States ranking, out of 4,630 schools. In addition, NIU took the #14 spot for Best Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois.
In College Factual’s 2026 Best Graduate Schools in the United States ranking, NIU took the #303 spot out of 4,630 schools. In addition, NIU took the #14 spot for Best Graduate Schools in Illinois.
For the last year in which we have data, 4,066 graduate students decided that Northern Illinois University was the best place for them.Since diversity is such an important part of the grad school experience, College Factual looked deeper at the demographics of these students.Here is what we found.
Athough the male-female ratio may vary depending on the degree program, 59.9% of the total graduate students at NIU are women and 40.1% are men.
About 28.0% of the graduate students who attend NIU are from a racial-ethnic minority group*.Americans aren’t the only ones who appreciate the graduate programs at NIU. Around 19.0% of graduate students are international.The following chart shows the distribution of racial-ethnic groups at the school. If you click on it, you’ll find more detailed information.
The average graduate full-time tuition and fees is shown in the table below.
| In-State | Out-of-State | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $23,266 | $23,266 |
| Fees | $400 | $400 |
The typical graduate student at NIU who borrowed carries a median debt of $25,209.
Graduate students who earn their master’s degree at NIU enter the workforce with an average early-career salary of $88,243.
The average early-career salary for doctoral degree recipients from NIU is $90,951.
Graduate students who earn their professional degree at NIU enter the workforce with an average early-career salary of $74,619.
The graduate programs at NIU lead to a range of early-career salaries. The table below lists the graduate fields of study at the school whose recent graduates report the highest early-career earnings.
| Graduate Field of Study | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|
| Business Administration & Management | $121,495 |
| Taxation. | $113,734 |
| Nursing | $113,538 |
| Computer Science | $111,770 |
| Management Information Systems and Services. | $107,655 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $100,075 |
| Accounting | $94,706 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | $93,683 |
| Educational Administration | $85,511 |
| General Psychology | $84,125 |
Located in Dekalb, Illinois, Northern Illinois University is a public institution.NIU is located in a safe and convenient suburb. Get more details about the location of Northern Illinois University.
Contact details for NIU are given below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 1425 W. Lincoln Hwy., Dekalb, IL 60115-2828 |
| Phone: | 800-892-3050 |
| Website: | www.niu.edu |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/NorthernIllUniv |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/NIUlive |
About 52.8% of the graduate students at Northern Illinois University took at least one online class.Roughly 33.6% of all grad students took courses exclusively online.
Listed here are the degree programs in which the school awarded master’s degrees.
As with the master’s degree programs, only the programs that awarded doctorate degrees are shown here.
| Doctorate Degree Program | Annual Graduates | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | 13 | — |
| Clinical & Counseling Psychology | 3 | — |
| Computer Science | 1 | — |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 7 | — |
| Economics | 2 | — |
| Educational Administration | 42 | $134,549 |
| General Biology | 4 | — |
| General English Literature | 7 | — |
| General Psychology | 17 | $84,125 |
| Geography & Cartography | 3 | — |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 2 | — |
| History | 2 | — |
| Instructional Media Design | 6 | — |
| Mathematics | 3 | — |
| Other Health Professions | 12 | — |
| Physics | 6 | — |
| Political Science & Government | 2 | — |
| Student Counseling | 2 | — |
Only the programs in which a professional degree was awarded are shown here.
| Professional Degree Program | Annual Graduates | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Communication Sciences | 5 | — |
| Law | 94 | $74,619 |
| Nursing | 4 | — |
| Rehabilitation Professions | 24 | — |
Only the programs in which a post-masters certificate was awarded are shown here.
| Post-Masters Certificate Program | Annual Graduates | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical & Counseling Psychology | 2 | — |
| Educational Administration | 18 | — |
| Music | 3 | — |
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