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Fast Facts
Chartered in 1895, Northern Illinois University is a comprehensive teaching and research institution with over 19,000 currently enrolled students.
Facts at a Glance
Date Chartered: 1895
Location: DeKalb (population 43,849); 65 miles west of Chicago
Alumni of Record: 240,000
Total Student Enrollment: 19,015
- Undergraduate: 14,079
- Graduate: 4,672
- College of Law: 264
Total Faculty/Staff: 3,303
- Instructional faculty: 1,174
- Administrative and professional staff: 891
- Operating staff: 1,521
Student/Instructional Faculty Ratio: 13:1
Campus Size:
- DeKalb main campus: 756 acres; 64 major buildings
- Lorado Taft Field Campus (near Oregon, Illinois): 144 acres
- NIU Rockford: 10 acres
- NIU Hoffman Estates: 3.93 acres, plus an additional land donation of 20 acres
- NIU Naperville: 11.2 acres
Student Housing Capacity: approx. 5,000 (on campus)
Radio Stations: WNIJ 89.5 FM, 50,000 watts; WNIU 90.5 FM (National Public Radio); WKDI 93.5 FM (student operated)
College Structure: Seven (7) degree-granting colleges—Business, Education, Engineering and Engineering Technology, Health and Human Sciences, Law, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Visual and Performing Arts
Academic Information
Number of academic departments: 39
Degrees offered (24): Au.D., B.A., B.F.A., B.G.S., B.M., B.S., B.S.Ed., D.P.T., Ed.D., Ed.S., J.D., M.A., M.A.S., M.B.A., M.F.A., M.M., M.P.A., M.P.H., M.S., M.S.Ed., M.A.T. (Master of Arts in Teaching), M.S.T. (Master of Science in Taxation), M.S.T. (Master of Science in Teaching), Ph.D.
Undergraduate:
- 71 undergraduate majors
- 73 undergraduate minors
- 88 emphases
- 6 pre-professional programs
Graduate:
- 80 graduate programs (excluding law)
- 66 specializations
Student Profile
Enrollment
- Undergraduate: 14,079
- Graduate: 4672
- College of Law: 264
- Total: 19,015
Average Student Age
- Undergraduate: 22
- Graduate: 32
Degrees Awarded, 2014–15 Academic Year
- Undergraduate: 3,507
- Graduate: 1,451
- J.D. Professional/Law: 100
- Doctorate: 153
- Total: 5,211
International Students
1,211 international students from 77 different countries
Ethnic/Racial Categories–Undergraduate
- White: 57.0%
- Black: 15.9%
- Hispanic/Latino: 15.4%
- Asian: 5.0%
- Race Unknown: 0.8%
- 2 or more races: 3.5%
- Non-res. Alien: 2.1%
- Native American: 0.2%
Male/Female Categories
- Undergraduate: 50.8% male; 49.2% female
- Graduate: 46.6% male; 53.4% female
Average High School Class Rank and ACT Score
- High School Class Rank (percentile) for NIU freshmen: 62
- ACT Score for NIU freshmen: 22
- ACT Score for high school graduates (national average): 21
Athletics
National Affiliation: NCAA Division 1
Conference Affiliation: Mid-American Conference
Men: baseball, basketball, football*, golf, soccer, tennis, wrestling
Women: basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball, indoor/outdoor track and field
*Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Status
Athletic Colors: Cardinal and black. In all printed materials pertaining to NIU intercollegiate athletics, cardinal is defined as ink color PMS 200.
Mascot: The mascot for all NIU athletic teams is the Huskie.
Athletic Department Logo: The Huskie logo is a licensed property of NIU; its use is restricted to promoting sports activities.
Tuition and Fees
- The Office of the Bursar maintains the various tuition and fee rates for all students.
- Tuition Estimator
History
Chartered: 1895 - Northern Illinois State Normal School
Classes started: September 12, 1899
Name changes:
- 1921 - Northern Illinois State Teachers College
- 1955 - Northern Illinois State College
- 1957 - Northern Illinois University
Presidents:
- John W. Cook, July 1899–August 1919
- J. Stanley Brown, August 1919–July 1927
- J. Clifton Brown, July 1927–August 1929
- Karl L. Adams, October 1929–December 1948 (died in office)
- Leslie A. Holmes, February 1949–September 1967
- Rhoten A. Smith, September 1967–August 1971
- Richard J. Nelson, August 1971–February 1978
William R. Monat (acting), February 1978–July 1978 - William R. Monat, July 1978–September 1984
John E. La Tourette (acting), September 1984–July 1985 - Clyde J. Wingfield, July 1985–May 1986
- John E. La Tourette, May 1986–May 2000
- John G. Peters, June 2000–2013
- Douglas D. Baker, July 2013-June 2017
- Lisa C. Freeman (acting), July 2017 - present
Governing Structure
Board of Trustees: Northern Illinois University is governed by the NIU Board of Trustees, established January 1996 by an act of the Illinois General Assembly. Seven voting members are appointed by the governor to serve staggered six-year terms. One voting student, elected by the NIU student body, serves a one-year term.
Members
- Dennis L. Barsema, Barrington Hills
- Robert T. Boey, Sycamore
- John Butler, Chicago
- Wheeler G. Coleman, Chicago
- Veronica Herrero, Chicago
- Timothy A. Struthers, DeKalb
- Eric Wasowicz, Palatine
- Matthew W. Holmes (student)
- Acting Pres. Lisa C. Freeman, Ex Officio (Nonvoting)
Board Staff
- Anne C. Kaplan, assistant secretary/assistant treasurer
- Greg Brady, acting general counsel and board of trustees parliamentarian
Distances
Located in DeKalb, Northern Illinois University is:
- 55 miles northwest of Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne)
- 30 miles west of Aurora
- 65 miles west of Chicago
- 29 miles west of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Batavia)
- 40 miles southwest of Hoffman Estates
- 35 miles east of Lorado Taft Field Campus (Oregon)
- 130 miles southwest of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- 36 miles west of Naperville
- 60 miles southwest of O’Hare International Airport
- 45 miles southeast of Rockford
- 183 miles northeast of Springfield
Information updated 6/29/2017