Admissions and Aid
Admissions and Aid
At NIU, we're committed to making your college journey accessible, clear and personalized. With more than 100 undergraduate programs and 80+ graduate degrees, NIU offers the perfect path to achieve your educational and career goals. As one of Illinois' most affordable public universities, NIU provides transparent cost information and comprehensive financial support to help you make informed decisions about your educational investment.
Undergraduate
Start your college journey at NIU. Our comprehensive undergraduate programs prepare you for career success through hands-on learning and personalized support. You can apply to undergraduate admissions as a freshman, transfer, returning, post-baccalaureate or visiting student.
When you apply for admission to NIU as an incoming freshman or transfer student, you’ll automatically be considered for our renewable merit scholarships. These are awarded based on your high school GPA or on your transfer GPA.
With our place-based degree completion programs, you can get your NIU degree by taking courses taught by NIU faculty at your community college. You can also explore our online degree completion programs.
Graduate
Advance your expertise and career potential through NIU's graduate programs. Our Graduate School offers master's degrees, doctoral programs and certificates across diverse disciplines. You can also explore our online graduate programs.
Many avenues of support are available to help fund your graduate education at NIU. Graduate employee positions include teaching, research and administrative graduate assistantships. Additional scholarships, fellowships and awards are offered by NIU.
Law
The NIU College of Law offers flexible paths to legal education through our traditional three-year Juris Doctor (J.D.), accelerated B.S./B.A. to J.D. programs and dual degrees combining the J.D. with an MBA or M.P.A.
Students can further specialize their legal expertise through certificates in areas including business law, civil advocacy, criminal practice, international law, law and women's and gender studies, and public interest law.
Resources
The Office of the Bursar provides many resources, including:
- Tuition and fee information
- Payments and due dates
- Huskie Installment Plan (spread payments out over a semester)
- Planning and Cost Estimator (customizable estimate of your NIU expenses)
Other financial resources at NIU include:
- Financial Aid and Scholarship Office: understanding and applying for financial aid
- Net Price Calculator: understand the cost of attending NIU, personalized to you and your financial situation
- Student Financial Advising Services: guidance on a range of financial topics