Approximately 24% of NIU’s revenue comes as an appropriation from the State of Illinois.
Over the past decade, NIU has experienced significant fluctuations in state funding. During the budget impasse in fiscal year 2016, funding fell to $26.4 million — less than 30% of the previous year’s budget. Although state support began to recover in the following years, it has remained below the inflation-adjusted levels needed to keep pace with rising costs. Since 2018, Illinois has increased its investment, but the actual dollar gap continues to widen.
In spring 2024, the Illinois Commission on Equitable Higher Education Funding, a statutorily authorized group comprised of higher education leaders, advocates and legislators, released a report proposing a new funding model that would allocate state appropriations to Illinois public universities using a formula that prioritizes adequacy and equity and seeks sustainability. The report outlines that, between 2015 and 2023, state investment in public universities decreased overall by 22% in inflation-adjusted terms, with NIU seeing a decrease of 24% or approximately $29 million in our annual appropriation. When adequate funding is calculated using a formula that considers factors such as the size and mission of the institution and the characteristics of the students served, NIU is operating at only 55% of adequacy, meaning we receive only a little more than half of what we need to operate and serve students effectively.
NIU will continue to advocate strongly for adequate, equitable, and sustainable funding from the state.