Northern Illinois Univeristy eLearning Services Reviews

Im a Senior here at NIU and I will be graduating (on time) this coming May. I was a transfer student and was discouraged early on by a horrible guidance counselor. If I hadn't already registered and signed a lease for my apartment, I probably would have accepted my admission at DePaul and spend a lot more money on the same education. Don't let crappy people or crappy reviews discourage you ! I put it behind me, changed counselors and decided that I was in charge of my future and that included my education and what I got out of it. Im a Political Science major and although the department is smaller then I'd like, I really like the professors and the effort they put forth to make sure you get what you paid for. Also, April Clark, who is an internship coordinator for the department does a wonderful job working with you and making sure you get some hands on experience in a field that interest you before you graduate. I had a wonderful PAID internship experience and I have learned more then I ever expected. My advice, get involved, do your research come to NIU if the program suits your needs ! If you don't know what you want, start at a community collage and then transfer to a school that excels in what you are interested in. Don't waste time taking over priced GenEd courses at universities, NIU accepts almost all courses from accredited colleges and its a painless process. GOOD LUCK to everyone and always remember that its not the situation that you are placed in, its how you react to it.

Also, basketball games, football games, and parities are fun and quite safe compared to other schools I have visited.

It's such a nice campus, even for people who don't attend.

It's a great stadium and I am going to be very happy to go hwre

Like all big schools, NIU's size makes it unable (or unwilling) to provide the necessary attention and resources students need to be successful. With almost 23,000 students enrolled, imagine the level of customer service provided by offices such as the Bursars or Financial Aid.
In a poorly staffed office of say ten or so, it is impossible for them to service all 23,000 students and alumni effectively. This means students become just a number; just another student ID coming through their office.
If you are wondering if NIU is a good fit for you, let me save you time and a lot of money: go to a smaller college. Smaller colleges offer one-on-one attention and students are far more likely to be successful (professors actually know students by name!) Class sizes of 100+ are not effective learning environments. Not to mention, the total cost of tuition is currently $22,728, which rivals the annual cost of attending a private college where the quality of education is far higher.
The four-year graduation rate at NIU is just 26%. Although this percentage only tells a small portion of the retention story, it means that if you go to NIU, it is highly likely that you are not leaving in four years...it will more likely be five or six, if you graduate from there at all. Multiply that by the cost of tuition and you are talking about a $125,000 investment.
The purpose of this review is to provide just a glimpse into the experience I have had with NIU. As a consumer, I feel I have little influence or control against a big school such as NIU. All I can do is share my experiences with others and hope they are helpful in some small way.

Went to college here and it was an amazing experience. The staff were helpful and engaged in helping me pursue a career after graduating.

NIU is a joke. Do yourself a favor and go to another college. ANY other college.

this university is full of smelly poopyheads and they are all gay the end

I knew a lot of students here and everyone hated the social life.

Russ From the Omis department uses phycology games to sign u up for classes u don t need.

Took a 16 week class on things I could have taught myself about excel in a couple days.

People have trauma form the nothingness that happens here.

Section 8 right on campus.

Grey skies always, terrible winters.

Don't base your college choice, even in part, on a review from Google Maps.

You can get a lot out of NIU or you can get nothing out of it. It depends on what program you're in, what classes you take, which teachers you take them from, and most importantly of all, the amount of work you are willing to put into your own education. Do your research somewhere that's not here. I'm happy here (3rd year), and I'm graduating on time. I understand why other people don't like NIU, but I do.

Do your research!

It's a great school! They have an excellent Business program. There are many things to do there and NIU host many events. If you are a student, best advice is join an organization, get involved in activities!! There some people that complain about NIU, but that is because they don't want to put their effort and hard work! Nothing comes free in life!

College of business student... love the university. Definitely learned a lot along my journey.

I look forward to transferring to Northern for the spring semester Class of 2019

NIU gave me the ability to be an effective educator for 30 years and the confidence and skills to change children's lives! I am forever gratefully to the inspirational instructors who taught me.

my son goes here and he doesn't seem to be getting any smarter or learning things so i might call and try to get my money back.

It's been a great school for my daughter. The staff bend over backwards to insure her success.

One of the best places I've ever worked I am very proud to have a son that was educated here the campus is beautiful the employees are awesome and the Huskies Rock

I hear they are censoring social media and political web sites for some reason.

Good College with Friendly people around. Students have excellent opportunities to meet people of different country, culture etc. And the fees is not ridiculously expensive. College houses excellent and a big campus that spreads close to 900 Acres. College Faculty/Staff are extremely friendly and supportive. Very good on-campus job opportunity. Graduate assistantships and scholarships are available in plenty. College provides good transport round the clock to commute in and around DeKalb and they have their own police who are active round the clock. Going to Chicago or O'Hare is still a trouble. If the connectivity to Chicago can be improved, this college will have a great future.

happy grad! loved it and love coming to visit campus

Of course experiences vary from person to person, but I had a blast during grad school at NIU. As an out of state student from Iowa, I enjoyed being near the Chicago area while enjoying the reasonable cost of living in DeKalb. What I liked about the school itself was the diversity, the overall campus layout, and the academics. I highly recommend NIU, especially to potential students coming from outside of Illinois.

I went there in 1985. Horrible decision for me personally. I left after 1.5 years and finished at a small christian school. To me, "small" is better. At NIU I saw vandalism on my floor , drugs, so so food, and not really a culture of study. It was a culture of the "world." Just not a great environment. I remember a professor telling us all to look to the person to our left and then our right and then say to us, "one of you won't be here next year." Oh my word - THANKS for the loving encouragement. Sure enough, he was right, I was gone 1.5 years later. Then, you have to drive, walk, or take a bus MILES to and from classes on a ugly "average" at best campus. How enjoyable. Then, when you arrive at your 450 person class - it's often taught by someone you can hardly hear or understand. Will it give you a degree? Yes. For my money, I would rather spend a few more bucks and go to a smaller private school. Worth every penny. I know lots of people who "liked" NIU. But, nobody seems to LOVE having gone there. The professors can't hold a candle to those at a smaller University. The time, care and investment is 10 fold better at a smaller school. My .02 cents.

I'm a current freshman, so I don't have a lot to say about the university so far, but I love it here. The professors are, for the most part, great and incredibly knowledge and passionate about their area. It's getting a little dangerous, but there's plenty of safety features in place. I'm excited to call NIU my home!

Excellent campus. They have emergency poles that allow you to call for help if you're in need, makes you feel safe. Dorms are excellent the the environments for students are awesome.

The teachers were mostly good at what they taught, and most seemed to care. That is the only reason this school even deserves a 1 star.

I graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science and Minor in Math.
If you are considering CS, go somewhere else. The courses are extremely outdated, you will never use an actual computer in class, you will not learn how to use tools that are industry standard, and you will not be properly prepared for the working world. None of the teachers stay current with technology.

The majority of your classes will be C++ (which most companies do not use). Out of 10 graduates I know, 0 are using C++ in the real world. They should restructure to be more C# or Java focused.
You will not learn how to use version control software, which you will need for any job anywhere. They should implement git or subversion source control for students to learn with. This would also make turning in assignment easier. I had to email my teachers zip files with the extension changed because they have no proper system in place.
You will never use a computer in class, or be told anything about debugging. It is assumed that you should learn this on your own time. Classes should be taught with computers (that CS students pay a $150 / semester technology fee for). Debugging should be covered in intro classes, as different IDEs and languages have different tools and methods.

The worst part is that I have brought these concerns up multiple times with the teachers and even head of the CS department. They either do not care, or claim there is no money. Version control could be implemented for basically free, but they are not current in the field to know this.

And to further the insult, every year they add huge exspansion for the school athletics. One year a huge indoor football field. Then they extended the stadium tailgate area and concessions. Next they plan to extend the stadium. Unless you are an athlete, this school does not care about you.

All this school will offer you is a very expensive piece of paper.

If you get lucky then your experience here can be very enriching, I however did not get lucky. Half-way through my 2nd semester as a freshman here I got Bronchitis around midterm times. Most of my teachers were very nice about rescheduling my midterm due to the fact I was contagious and couldn't be in class to take these tests. But there was one teacher who simply refused to allow me to have a retake, through emails I offered to come in on his office hours or any other time that worked well for him, simply to retake a test I didn't have access to. He was terribly condescending, constantly treating me like I was trying to trick him, talking down to me and behaving combatively. Eventually I gave up trying to reason with him, and simply accepted that I had just wasted thousands of dollars and months of my time on a wasted endeavor. This will shortly cause me to lose eligibility for my scholarship. Without this scholarship I have no incentive to stay at the school.

When considering this school you have to realize that its truly a bargain school, its relatively cheap and for the cost you get acceptable education and a degree that isn't completely useless. However, what this school lacks in comparison to more prestigious (and expensive) schools is reliability. Some teachers are okay, some courses are pretty good, but when your committing so much time, effort and money into something, you don't want "sometimes good" and you certainly don't want "sometimes a complete and total waste". If I could go back and reinvest the commitment I spent here into a community college, I would

Excellent for graduate studies! Lot of funding opportunities for international students.

I went to college at NIU and so did my son. Great school in a great town. Far enough away to feel like you are "away" at college, but close enough that it's easy to get to and easy to come home.

Excellent biology department. The professors there actually want you to learn. I had a great experience.

I believe that most of the staff had good intentions but a lot of unethical stuff happens too. I can only speak for the departments I have interacted with but I think the teachers in the education department are great and the program is pretty good too.

The campus could use major upgrades, a lot of professors are incredibly overpaid, and the parking arrangements are awful. If it wasnt a highly rated business college I would have avoided NIU. The tuition for what you get from this univeristy is garbage.

I was thinking really hard about going to NIU. But some of the reviews are kind of making me think even harder. :/

Graduated with my bachelors degree. Overall great experience from education, housing, and student employment!!

Most classes were pointless with instructors whose enthusiasm for the job was lost long ago.

Laura Alexander discriminated against me because of my gender and race

Northern Illinois is a great school, they have been doing well to enforce the rules due to COVID. My neice has been having a great freshman year thus far! It s always great to visit family when you are in town, Northern was only an hour away from the airport.

The ceremony was handled horribly by the administration. Came here for my sisters graduation and had security guards yelling at me and putting their hands in front of my camera every time I tried to take a picture as my sister walked across the stage. They said pictures weren't allowed but I could buy them from their professional photographers. The rent-a-cops wannabes need sensitivity training and the money mongering policies need to be revised.

Son went here and liked it, the area is going downhill last I heard, but overall a good school in the Chicago Land Area

Applying for medical laboratory sciences or nursing in this university is so difficult as if you were applying for medical school!!!
well done NIU!

It is a great campus to study at any disciplines...
Punya bus kampus yang beroperasi the whole working day. Happy to be the part of it.

this is my advisory at school do you know anybody name Kate laws

They have the finest paper products in all the land. After 4 years I received 2 pieces of paper which were of thick card stock and it only cost $100,000! What a deal.

NIU affords students a chance to receive a good, quality education at a decent, "affordable" (at least by higher education standards) cost. As a larger university, it is what you make of it; if you're expecting to be hand-held through your classes then you likely won't make it. If, however, you're willing to seek out help and take matters into your own hands (as you have to do in the real world), you'll thrive at NIU.

I hope Im gonna explore this University. This will be the school where exchange students from Philippines will have to visit. Hope to be qualified!
(December 08, 2013)

NIU has the classic college town feel but you can also be in Downtown Chicago in about an hour if need be. Great academics, fun campus life, best college football team in the state of Illinois.

Great place for graduation, and all large events. Clean and beautiful. Friendly.

Great school, okay Greek system, great friends, many great experiences that I will never forget.

I went to this campus for spring abroad with Southeast Asia Youth Leadership Program. It was in April 2012.

I hope no one bases their opinion about Northern Illinois University on a review from someone's experience in 1985. I graduated twice from NIU and I had a very good experience. You get what you put into your education. If you get involved, talk to your professors, and your fellow students you will feel more at home and learn too. All kinds of people go to college and part of the experience is meeting other people and learning to deal with the good and bad. If you feel overwhelmed at a place like NIU, ask for help. There are many programs and people who will help guide you. At the very least visit the campus and talk to people who have graduated recently. NIU offers a first rate education in a convenient location. Its proximity to the Chicagoland area is a huge advantage in finding your first job because of the closeness and NIU's ties to many corporations in the area. As for campus security, it is the same as any other campus. Don't let one incident from 2008 cloud your judgement on campus safety. The majority of students at NIU come from families of moderate means, so they value the cost of their education. They are the type of people who earn their way to their success and that is the type of person I would want to hire.