Northern Illinois University is a public four-year institution based in Dekalb, Illinois. The campus sits in a small suburban area. Fall 2024 enrollment was 15,414, made up of 11,348 undergraduates and 4,066 graduate students. It holds the Carnegie R2 designation for high research activity.
Northern Illinois University offers certificates, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, doctoral degrees, and professional doctorates across 103 programs. Its largest programs by number of graduates are Psychology, General, Computer Science, and Business Administration and Management. It awarded 4,012 degrees and certificates in 2024-25. 9 of its programs can be completed entirely online.
70% of full-time first-year students return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio is 15 to 1.
Key figures
15,414
Students enrolled
70%
First-year retention
4,012
Degrees and certificates awarded, 2024-25
103
Programs and majors
15:1
Student-to-faculty ratio
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Delivery modes
CampusOnlineHybrid
Program levels
CertificateBachelorMasterPhDProfessional
Programs and majors offered 103
Graduate counts are degrees and certificates awarded in each program between July 2024 and June 2025. Largest fields are listed first.
Retention is for students who started in fall 2023 and returned in fall 2024.
First-year retention, full-time students
70%
First-year retention, part-time students
30%
Student-to-faculty ratio
15:1
Degrees and certificates awarded
Awards conferred between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.
Bachelor's degrees
2,557
Master's degrees
1,153
Doctoral degrees (research)
125
Professional doctorates
153
Post-master's certificates
24
Enrollment
Students, fall 2024
15,414
Undergraduates, fall 2024
11,348
Graduate students, fall 2024
4,066
Full-time, fall 2024
77%
Students over the full 2024-25 year
17,142
Undergraduates, 2024-25
12,360
Graduate students, 2024-25
4,782
Full-time, 2024-25
75%
Size category
10,000 to 19,999 students
Student body
Share of all students enrolled during 2024-25. Small groups can round to zero and are not listed.
Women
55%
Men
45%
White
45%
Hispanic or Latino
22%
Black or African American
18%
Asian
6%
Two or more races
2%
International (U.S. nonresident)
6%
Race or ethnicity unknown
1%
Online and flexible learning
Distance education in 2024-25.
Programs that can be completed fully online
9
Programs with a fully online option
14
Online undergraduate programs
Yes
Online graduate programs
Yes
Students studying fully online
19%
Students taking some online courses
61%
Weekend or evening classes
Yes
Campus and services
Setting
Small suburb
Academic calendar
Semester
Carnegie classification
Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity
Research designation
Research 2: High Spending and Doctorate Production
Athletic association
NCAA
Athletic conference
Mid-American Conference
President
Lisa Freeman
Services and opportunities
Study abroad, ROTC, Undergraduate research, Teacher certification, Academic and career counseling, Student employment services, Job placement for graduates, On-campus day care, Accepts AP credit
Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement AdministrationLiberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, OtherBusiness Administration and Management+88