Quad

Head-to-head

Georgia State
Northern Illinois

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Northern Illinois's grants cover 48% of its full price on average, vs. 34% at Georgia State

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    Georgia State has 2.4× as many undergrads as Northern Illinois

    Undergrads
  3. 3

    Georgia State's yield is 11 pts higher than Northern Illinois's

    Yield rate
  4. 4

    Northern Illinois grads earn $10.4K more ten years out than Georgia State's ($57,808 vs. $47,384)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    Northern Illinois costs about $6K less per year on average than Georgia State ($15,527 vs. $21,561, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  6. 6

    Northern Illinois graduates 7 pts more of its students than Georgia State (64% vs. 57%)

    Graduation rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

Georgia State admits 55%, Northern Illinois 70%; Georgia State's yield is higher, at 23%.

Acceptance rate
Georgia State55%
Northern Illinois70%
Quad's selectivity
  • Georgia StateSelective
  • Northern IllinoisAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 800–1600
Georgia State
940–1180
Northern IllinoisTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Georgia StateGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • Northern IllinoisGPA, school record, rank, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Georgia State has 2.4× as many undergrads as Northern Illinois and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Georgia State26.6K
Northern Illinois11.3K
Pell Grant share
Georgia State51%
Northern Illinois47%

Majors and faculty

Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies leads at Georgia State, and Psychology at Northern Illinois; Northern Illinois has 15 students per faculty member to Georgia State's 25.

Students per faculty member
Georgia State25 to 1
Northern Illinois15 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Georgia StateMulti-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other10%
  • Northern IllinoisPsychology, General9%

What each costs

Northern Illinois costs about $6K less a year than Georgia State on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Georgia State$21.6K
Northern Illinois$15.5K
Aid generosity
Georgia State34%
Northern Illinois48%

What each pays off

Northern Illinois's former students earn more, a median $57.8K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 50% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Georgia State$47.4K
Northern Illinois$57.8K
Graduation rate
Georgia State57%
Northern Illinois64%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; Georgia State got more selective while Northern Illinois got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Georgia StateGrowing+160%
  • Northern IllinoisGrowing+19%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why