NIU adopts domestic tuition-rate structure

October 20, 2017

Measure will make university more affordable to students nationwide

DeKalb, Ill. - The NIU Board of Trustees today approved a new domestic rate structure for tuition.

The new structure will set out-of-state tuition for domestic students at the equivalent of the in-state tuition rate, effectively making NIU more affordable to U.S. students from outside Illinois. The change will apply to domestic students enrolled as NIU undergraduates or through the NIU Graduate School. It will take effect beginning with the fall 2018 semester.

"The high quality of our faculty and academic programs is well-known beyond the borders of Illinois,” NIU Acting President Lisa Freeman said. “We want students nationwide to experience our unique brand of hands-on, engaged learning, and we believe elimination of this cost barrier will help us attract more students from across the country.”

Currently, full-time domestic undergraduates from outside of Illinois are assessed roughly double the in-state tuition rate, with the exception of students from six Midwestern states who pay a premium of 40 percent above the in-state rate. Similarly, out-of-state full-time domestic students enrolled through the Graduate School are assessed higher tuition rates than their Illinois peers.

Board Chair Wheeler Coleman hailed the change as an exciting moment for the university. “We believe that moving to this new structure is better for all of our students, as well as the university and our state,” Coleman said.

Sol Jensen, NIU vice president for Enrollment Management, Marketing and Communications, said the change will enhance enrollment by making NIU a much more attractive option for students from around the country.

"When you look at other universities in the greater Chicago area—public and private—this immediately makes us a far more affordable and accessible alternative,” Jensen said. “We offer outstanding programs in high-demand fields in a traditional university setting that sits on the doorstep of Chicago. Students get to enjoy the lifestyle of a large, rural Midwestern university, while still having the opportunity to experience internships, employment and the cultural life of one of the world’s great cities. We believe it is a combination that students from other states will find very attractive.”

Jensen also noted that Illinois has led the nation in population decline in recent years and is among the largest net exporters of college freshmen to other states. Ultimately, the change should help strengthen the state’s workforce by attracting talented individuals who are then more likely to live and work in the region, he said.

While the prospect of attracting more out-of-state students is exciting, Freeman said the new tuition-rate structure in no way signals a change in the university’s traditional mission.

"We will continue to focus the majority of our recruitment efforts on expanding enrollment of students from our home state—that won’t change,” she said. “This will not reduce opportunities for students from Illinois to enroll at NIU, and will only enrich the experience they receive by making our campus more geographically diverse.”

While the Board of Trustees today approved the new tuition structure, actual tuition rates for FY19 will be proposed in December. 

Media Contact: Tom Parisi, NIU Institutional Communications
Phone: 815-753-3635

Back to top