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Northern Illinois University Your Future, Our Focus Northern Illinois University Your Future, Our Focus

Fast Facts

Students study

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

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:

  1. John W. Cook, July 1899–August 1919
  2. J. Stanley Brown, August 1919–July 1927
  3. J. Clifton Brown, July 1927–August 1929
  4. Karl L. Adams, October 1929–December 1948 (died in office)
  5. Leslie A. Holmes, February 1949–September 1967
  6. Rhoten A. Smith, September 1967–August 1971
  7. Richard J. Nelson, August 1971–February 1978
    William R. Monat (acting), February 1978–July 1978
  8. William R. Monat, July 1978–September 1984
    John E. La Tourette (acting), September 1984–July 1985
  9. Clyde J. Wingfield, July 1985–May 1986
  10. John E. La Tourette, May 1986–May 2000
  11. John G. Peters, June 2000–2013
  12. Douglas D. Baker, July 2013-June 2017
  13. 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