Northern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University
Former name
Northern Illinois State School (1895–1921)
Northern Illinois State Teachers College (1921–1955)
Northern Illinois State College (1955–1957)
TypePublic research university
EstablishedMay 22, 1895;
129 years ago (1895-05-22)
AccreditationHLC
Academic affiliation
URA
Space-grant
Endowment$99.8 million (2023)[1]
PresidentLisa Freeman
ProvostLaurie Elish-Piper
Students15,649 (fall 2022)[2]
Undergraduates11,429 (fall 2022)[2]
Postgraduates4,220 (fall 2022)[2]
Location
DeKalb
,
Illinois
,
United States
CampusUniversity town;
945.13 acres (382.5 ha)[3]
ColorsCardinal and Black[4]
   
NicknameHuskies
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I — MAC
Websitewww.niu.edu

Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School in 1895 by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld, initially to provide the state with college-educated teachers. In addition to the main campus in DeKalb, it has satellite centers in Chicago, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon, Illinois.

The university is composed of seven degree-granting colleges and has a student body of approximately 16,000. NIU is one of seven public universities in Illinois that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's, Division I.[5] The athletic teams are known as the Huskies and compete in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

  1. ^ As of June 30, 2023. Our Financials (Report). NIU Foundation. June 30, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "2022 Fast Facts".
  3. ^ "Northern Illinois University". Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  4. ^ "Northern Illinois University Graphic Standards". NIU.edu. Archived from the original on November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  5. ^ "Our Division I Members". NCAA.org. Retrieved November 6, 2023.