Cost & financial aid brief
Northeastern Illinois University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Northeastern Illinois University cost after financial aid?
At Northeastern Illinois University, the published cost is $26,960, but the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $14,109. That leaves an average sticker-to-net reduction of $12,851.
Aid covers about 48% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Prices vary through the income range: the lowest-income band averages $13,709, the next band $12,824, the middle band $15,077, the next-highest band $20,464, and the highest-income band $25,001.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,292, a difference of averages rather than what any family pays. Lower average prices at the lower-income end show where the aid pattern is most pronounced.
For aid recipients, Northeastern Illinois University starts with a published cost of attendance of $26,960, but prices differ across family-income bands. Average net price is $13,709 for the lowest family-income band, $12,824 for the next band, $15,077 for the middle band, $20,464 for the next-highest band, and $25,001 for the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,292. Azimuth ranks the public university #117 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 48% of the published cost, or $12,851 against the sticker price. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $14,109 across all aid recipients.
That is above the $14,068 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size), a difference of $41. Published in-state tuition is $12,383, and out-of-state tuition is $22,726.
Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $14,600, below the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $6,629. 52.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $166 a month if repaid over ten years.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $13,578.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Northeastern Illinois University has a comparatively low federal borrowing picture for completers relative to similar institutions. Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $14,600, which is $6,629 below the $21,229 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size).
A 52.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parent PLUS borrowers, a separate parent-borrower population, have median borrowing of $13,578.
Northeastern Illinois University pairs earnings above expectation with lower median debt than comparable institutions. Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $60,607.
Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations is favorable here: Graduates earn about $5,868 more than the model expects for similar students.
Azimuth places this measure in the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The modeled program-mix earnings scenarios are $50,365 in a downside case, $60,607 in a typical case, and $75,629 in an upside case.
Median federal student debt is $14,600, $6,629 below the $21,229 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $166 a month if repaid over ten years.
Above-expected earnings and lower borrowing point the same way, although the observed earnings median sits nearer the middle of the national distribution.
Parent borrowing is separate from student borrowing: median Parent PLUS borrowing among parent borrowers is $13,578. Federal student debt at the median corresponds to an estimated payment of $166 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $13,578
- Estimated parent payment
- $173/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 10.2% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 4.6% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.2% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.4% | Safe |
The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. Open the parent tool for your own numbers. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $14,600
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $13,578
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $166/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $173/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $339/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $60,607, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.4% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.