Quad

Head-to-head

Northern Illinois
Kean

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. 39% at Kean

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    Kean has 8 pts more first-gen students than Northern Illinois (46% vs. 38%)

    First-generation students
  3. 3

    Northern Illinois costs about $5.7K less per year on average than Kean ($15,527 vs. $21,214, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  4. 4

    Kean's yield is 7 pts higher than Northern Illinois's

    Yield rate
  5. 5

    Northern Illinois graduates 4 pts more of its students than Kean (64% vs. 60%)

    Graduation rate
  6. 6

    Kean is more diverse (index 0.74 vs. 0.71)

    Diversity index

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%, Kean 76%; Kean's yield is higher, at 19%.

Acceptance rate
Northern Illinois70%
Kean76%
Quad's selectivity
  • Northern IllinoisAccessible
  • KeanAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 800–1600
Northern IllinoisTest-blind
Kean
930–1150
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Northern IllinoisGPA, school record, rank, and prep program required
  • KeanGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Northern Illinois and Kean are about the same size; Kean has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Northern Illinois11.3K
Kean11.4K
Pell Grant share
Northern Illinois47%
Kean48%

Majors and faculty

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

Students per faculty member
Northern Illinois15 to 1
Kean17 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Northern IllinoisPsychology, General9%
  • KeanPsychology, General13%

What each costs

Northern Illinois costs about $5.7K less a year than Kean on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Northern Illinois$15.5K
Kean$21.2K
Aid generosity
Northern Illinois48%
Kean39%

What each pays off

Northern Illinois's former students earn more, a median $57.8K ten years after enrolling; both graduate at least 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Northern Illinois$57.8K
Kean$57.2K
Graduation rate
Northern Illinois64%
Kean60%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Northern IllinoisGrowing+19%
  • KeanGrowing+144%
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