Quad

Head-to-head

Valdosta State
Northern Illinois

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Northern Illinois graduates 18 pts more of its students than Valdosta State (64% vs. 46%)

    Graduation rate
  2. 2

    Valdosta State's yield is 14 pts higher than Northern Illinois's

    Yield rate
  3. 3

    Northern Illinois's grants cover 48% of its full price on average, vs. 39% at Valdosta State

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    Northern Illinois grads earn $8.4K more ten years out than Valdosta State's ($57,808 vs. $49,361)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    Northern Illinois has 8 pts more first-gen students than Valdosta State (38% vs. 31%)

    First-generation students
  6. 6

    Northern Illinois has 1.7× as many undergrads as Valdosta State

    Undergrads

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

Northern Illinois admits 70%, Valdosta State 72%; Valdosta State's yield is higher, at 26%.

Acceptance rate
Valdosta State72%
Northern Illinois70%
Quad's selectivity
  • Valdosta StateAccessible
  • Northern IllinoisAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 800–1600
Valdosta State
920–1100
Northern IllinoisTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Valdosta StateGPA and tests very important28%
  • Northern IllinoisGPA, school record, rank, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Northern Illinois has 1.7× as many undergrads as Valdosta State; Valdosta State has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Valdosta State6.6K
Northern Illinois11.3K
Pell Grant share
Valdosta State52%
Northern Illinois47%

Majors and faculty

Psychology leads at both; Northern Illinois has 15 students per faculty member to Valdosta State's 17.

Students per faculty member
Valdosta State17 to 1
Northern Illinois15 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Valdosta StatePsychology, General11%
  • Northern IllinoisPsychology, General9%

What each costs

Valdosta State and Northern Illinois cost about the same a year on average; Northern Illinois's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Valdosta State$14.9K
Northern Illinois$15.5K
Aid generosity
Valdosta State39%
Northern Illinois48%

What each pays off

Northern Illinois's former students earn more, a median $57.8K ten years after enrolling; six-year graduation runs from 64% at Northern Illinois to 46% at Valdosta State.

Median earnings, 10 years
Valdosta State$49.4K
Northern Illinois$57.8K
Graduation rate
Valdosta State46%
Northern Illinois64%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Valdosta StateGrowing+15%
  • 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;Valdosta State University Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2026 applicants;Valdosta State University Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2024;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