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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Northern Illinois University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/northern-illinois-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/northern-illinois-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/northern-illinois-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/northern-illinois-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/northern-illinois-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does NIU cost after financial aid?

Northern Illinois University combines a published cost of attendance of $28,851 with an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) that runs below the peer median, giving aid recipients a price advantage. The sticker price includes in-state tuition and fees of $13,248 and room and board of $14,160.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients actually pay—drops to $13,391, a savings of $15,460 against the published total. That average net price is below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,243.

Azimuth ranks the university #316 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, aid recipients at Northern Illinois University pay an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $13,391. That is $2,243 below the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #316 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The affordability pillar sits at the 78th percentile.

The lowest income band averages $10,126, and the highest averages $21,834. Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $22,162 in federal student loans, $2,086 above the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $10,126; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $9,854; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $12,797; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $17,612; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $21,834.

Pell Grant recipients make up 47.3% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,708.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$10,126

**$30–48K**
$9,854

**$48–75K**
$12,797

**$75–110K**
$17,612

**$110K+**
$21,834

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$13,391**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 54% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $15,460 against the sticker price. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) across all aid recipients is $13,391.

Across income bands, the average net price is $10,126 for families earning under $30,000, $9,854 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $12,797 for $48,001–$75,000, $17,612 for $75,001–$110,000, and $21,834 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,708, a pattern that concentrates the largest discounts on families with lower incomes.

Northern Illinois University publishes a cost of attendance of $28,851, with in-state tuition and fees of $13,248 and room and board at $14,160. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay—is $10,126 for families earning under $30,000, $12,797 for families in the $48,001–$75,000 band, and $21,834 for families earning over $110,000.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,708. Azimuth ranks the university #316 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 54% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average savings of $15,460 against the sticker price. The average net price for first-time, full-time aid recipients is $13,391, which sits below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,243.

The median federal student debt at completion is $22,162, with about 90.4% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. That debt sits above the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions by $2,086.

For a graduate with the median federal debt, the estimated monthly payment if repaid over ten years is $252. Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $19,508.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Most undergraduates at Northern Illinois University borrow federal loans: 90.4% do so. Among those who complete a degree, the median federal student debt is $22,162.

That median sits above the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,086. Parent borrowers, a separate population, carry a median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loan of $19,508.

Graduates of Northern Illinois University earn about $5,199 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 72nd percentile nationally. The median earnings four years after completion are $64,583, which places the university in the 64th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That median is below the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,027. Earnings scenarios based on the university's program mix show a downside scenario of $47,579 and an upside scenario of $84,667; the typical scenario matches the median earnings figure above.

Borrowers who complete a degree leave with a median federal debt of $22,162, which corresponds to an estimated payment of $252 a month if repaid over ten years. That debt level is above the peer median of $20,076 by $2,086.

Parent borrowers at Northern Illinois University took on a median of $19,508 in [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans, a separate federal borrowing population. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $252.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$19,508

**Estimated parent payment**
$248/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$22,162

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$19,508

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$252/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$248/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$500/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 $64,583, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**7.2%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=northern-illinois-university#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.