🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable on average — net price runs around $14,109/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$12,383 — major value play)
  • Students drawn to Business, Management, & Marketing or Education (the two biggest majors)
  • Families wanting a small undergraduate experience

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
M1: Master's - Larger Programs
Total enrollment
3,982
5,000 - 9,999
In-state tuition
$12,383
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$22,726
+$10,343 vs in-state
Admit rate
70.4%
Accessible
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$52,234
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$43,801
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$52,234
4-year completion
22%
Median debt (completers)
$14,600
Cost of attendance
$26,960
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
56%

💰 True ROI

9.3× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$56,436
$14,109/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$51,404
vs sticker $107,840
10-yr earnings total
$522,340
$52,234/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.1 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Northeastern Illinois University, the average net price is $14,109/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$13,709/yr
Family income $30-48k
$12,824/yr
Family income $48-75k
$15,077/yr
Family income $75-110k
$20,464/yr
Family income $110k+
$25,001/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Northeastern Illinois University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Northeastern Illinois University →

Opens on Northeastern Illinois University's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Northeastern Illinois University

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Northeastern Illinois University actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Business, Management, & Marketing
236 degrees · 35.2%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
2. Education
143 degrees · 21.3%
Typical career outcomes
Elementary School Teacher $64k Secondary School Teacher $65k School Principal $101k Special Education Teacher $66k
Teaching is the largest path. Salary depends heavily on district + state.
3. Computer & Information Sciences
103 degrees · 15.4%
Typical career outcomes
Software Developer $132k Data Scientist $108k Information Security Analyst $120k Web Developer $85k
High-paying tech roles dominate. Median software roles cluster in the $90k-$130k range.
4. Public Administration & Social Services
99 degrees · 14.8%
Typical career outcomes
Social Worker $58k Social / Community Service Mgr $77k Urban / Regional Planner $82k
Government, nonprofit, social work. Mission-driven; lower wages than private sector but stable.
5. Psychology
89 degrees · 13.3%
Typical career outcomes
HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Northeastern Illinois University

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Computer Science. Bachelor's Degree 111 $62,831 $88,917
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 60 $46,630 $69,226
Marketing. Bachelor's Degree 42 $43,320 $69,011
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 73 $50,475 $68,328
Mathematics. Bachelor's Degree 17 $66,269
Finance and Financial Management Services. Bachelor's Degree 47 $48,807 $64,022
Human Resources Management and Services. Bachelor's Degree 55 $49,131 $63,276
Political Science and Government. Bachelor's Degree 17 $25,912 $60,545
Business/Commerce, General. Bachelor's Degree 40 $45,015 $59,853
Economics. Bachelor's Degree 17 $40,004 $58,252

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Northeastern Illinois University

CS degrees (annual)
119
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Northeastern Illinois University vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

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