Northern Illinois University

Academics

How strong are the academics at Northern Illinois University?

Let's cover class sizes, graduation rates, and outcomes.

Class Sizes

Class sizes likely stayed the same for you through high school. You'll find that college is much different. Some of the largest universities have classes that can seat hundreds of students in giant lecture halls. Conversely, as they progress and their focus narrows, higher-level courses can sometimes have just a handful of students.

NIU has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 14:1. The typical school is 14:1. While this ratio is important, what’s more important is how big a typical class is.

Honors Programs

Northern Illinois University has an honors program and/or honors college. Specifics of these programs vary, but benefits of being in an Honors Program might include priority registration, being part of a tight-knit community, and accessing unique learning opportunities.

Learn more about honors options on NIU's website.

Outcomes

It’s critical to understand a school’s outcomes to understand if your four (or more) years at the school will be worth it. Here are some key statistics about the outcomes of students who enroll at Northern Illinois University:

Majors

Many students choose a school largely based on the what they want to study. The are Northern Illinois University's most popular majors, ranked by how many people graduated with the concentration in the most recent year: