Quad

Head-to-head

SUNY Buffalo State
Northern Illinois

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Northern Illinois graduates 16 pts more of its students than SUNY Buffalo State (64% vs. 48%)

    Graduation rate
  2. 2

    Northern Illinois has 2.2× as many undergrads as SUNY Buffalo State

    Undergrads
  3. 3

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

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    SUNY Buffalo State has 8 pts more Pell recipients than Northern Illinois (56% vs. 47%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  5. 5

    Northern Illinois grads earn $5.5K more ten years out than SUNY Buffalo State's ($57,808 vs. $52,334)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  6. 6

    Northern Illinois has 4 pts more first-gen students than SUNY Buffalo State (38% vs. 34%)

    First-generation students

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%, SUNY Buffalo State 73%; Northern Illinois's yield is higher, at 12%.

Acceptance rate
SUNY Buffalo State73%
Northern Illinois70%
Quad's selectivity
  • SUNY Buffalo StateAccessible
  • Northern IllinoisAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 900–1600
SUNY Buffalo State
980–1240
Northern IllinoisTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • SUNY Buffalo StateGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • Northern IllinoisGPA, school record, rank, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Northern Illinois has 2.2× as many undergrads as SUNY Buffalo State; SUNY Buffalo State has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
SUNY Buffalo State5.1K
Northern Illinois11.3K
Pell Grant share
SUNY Buffalo State56%
Northern Illinois47%

Majors and faculty

Business Administration and Management leads at SUNY Buffalo State, and Psychology at Northern Illinois.

Students per faculty member
SUNY Buffalo State14 to 1
Northern Illinois15 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • SUNY Buffalo StateBusiness Administration and Management, General10%
  • Northern IllinoisPsychology, General9%

What each costs

Northern Illinois costs about $2.6K less a year than SUNY Buffalo State on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
SUNY Buffalo State$18.1K
Northern Illinois$15.5K
Aid generosity
SUNY Buffalo State39%
Northern Illinois48%

What each pays off

Northern Illinois's former students earn more, a median $57.8K ten years after enrolling.

Median earnings, 10 years
SUNY Buffalo State$52.3K
Northern Illinois$57.8K
Graduation rate
SUNY Buffalo State48%
Northern Illinois64%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • SUNY Buffalo StateGrowing+45%
  • 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