For students not permanently residing in Illinois, the price of attending NIU can be a burden.

Entering the fall 2007 semester, there are 254 out-of-state students enrolled at NIU. According to U.S. News and World Report, these students must pay a tuition of $14,409, significantly higher than the $8,259 tuition paid by in-state students.

Of the NIU undergraduate population, 35 states are represented, plus one student from Washington, D.C. and 127 foreign students. Of NIU’s 18,816 undergraduate students, 18,435 are Illinois residents. Wisconsin has the second highest total, with 71 students residing permanently in that state, according to the NIU Data Book.

Ryan Garrett, a junior sociology major from Fort Dodge, Iowa — located about five hours northwest of NIU — came to DeKalb because he needed a change of scenery, he said. Furthermore, he believed the out-of-state tuition he would have to pay would help get his foot in the door at NIU.

“I knew I didn’t want to go to the community college in my hometown because 18 years was enough for me there,” he said. “I figured that NIU wouldn’t turn down more money from an out-of-state student, so I applied here.”

The high price of tuition was a problem at first, Garrett said.

“The out-of-state tuition was terrible for the first two years,” he said. “My school loans were double what my friends from here were taking out. I knew I had to fix that, so I am proud to say I am a recent Illinois citizen.”

On the flip side of the issue, NIU is a bargain for some students. Nate Nieman, a first year law student from Davenport, Iowa, said he chose NIU because of the location and cost.

“I chose NIU because it was near the third largest legal market in the country,” Nieman said. “Its tuition was very cheap compared to the private schools I applied to.”