ABA Standard 509 · 2025 cycle · Last synced June 26, 2026

Northern Illinois University School of Law

Q: What is the first-time bar passage rate at Northern Illinois University School of Law?

Northern Illinois University School of Law reported a 57.14% first-time bar passage rate in the most recent ABA Standard 509 disclosure, versus a 78.7% state average.

Q: How much does Northern Illinois University School of Law cost?

Resident tuition at Northern Illinois University School of Law is $23,667 per year (about $71,001 over three years). The median grant is $8,274, bringing median net tuition to roughly $15,393 per year.

Q: What LSAT and GPA do you need for Northern Illinois University School of Law?

The median (50th-percentile) LSAT at Northern Illinois University School of Law is 150 and the median GPA is 3.41; the acceptance rate is 44.3%.

Q: What are the job outcomes at Northern Illinois University School of Law?

77.6% of Northern Illinois University School of Law graduates held full-time, long-term JD-required or JD-advantage jobs about ten months after graduation. 0.9% joined large firms of 251+ attorneys. 10.3% were still seeking employment.

Illinois · Public · School ID: northern-illinois-university

CohortsAdmissions: entering class 2025Employment: class of 2024, ~10 mo. outBar: class of 2024, first-time

Northern Illinois University School of Law is a public law school in Illinois. In the most recent ABA Standard 509 cycle it reported a 57.14% first-time bar passage rate (state average 78.7%). 77.6% of graduates landed full-time, long-term JD-required or JD-advantage jobs, and 0.9% joined large firms of 251+ attorneys. Resident tuition is $23,667 per year; a median grant of $8,274 brings median net tuition to about $15,393. The median LSAT is 150 with a 44.3% acceptance rate.

Open interactive map & comparison view

Where the 2024 class landed

Small firm (2–100)34.6%

Government18.7%

Public interest13.1%

Still seeking10.3%

Business6.5%

Mid firm (101–250)3.7%

BigLaw 251–5000.9%

Solo0.9%

Clerkships0.9%

No placements reported (0%): MegaLaw 500+, Academia. These shares count where every employed graduate landed, by sector and firm size, across all job types; they can total more than the full-time long-term (FTLT) employment headline, which counts only the stricter full-time, long-term, JD-required or JD-advantage subset.

Bar passage · first-time

This school57.14%

State avg78.7%

first-time -21.5 pts vs state · 2-yr ultimate 82.95% · class of 2025 first-time 61.9% (reported early 2026) · Different cohort than the admissions class above.

Admissions · 25 / 50 / 75

LSATmedian 150

148154

uGPAmedian 3.41

3.173.64

Applications → offers → enrolled

Applied951

Offered421

Enrolled 1L134

Offer rate 44% · yield 32%.

Grant distribution

No grant 22.2%Under half 52.4%Half to full 25.4%

Demographics

Women 56%Men 44%

White	222
Black	39
Hispanic	38
Asian	21
Two or more	27
Other / unreported	5

Cost detail

Resident tuition	$23,667
Non-resident	$23,667
Mandatory fees	$400
Living estimate	$22,742
Median grant	$8,274
Grant 25 / 75	$4,137 / $12,411
Cond. schol. loss	—

Faculty & market

Total faculty	48
Full-time faculty	26
Faculty of color	11
Total JD enrollment	352
Graduates	107
Mean attorney salary · state	$175,180

Admissions

LSAT (25 / 50 / 75)	148 / 150 / 154
uGPA (25 / 50 / 75)	3.17 / 3.41 / 3.64
Acceptance rate	44.3%
Applications received	951
Offers extended	421
1L enrollment	134
Total JD enrollment	352
GRE-only takers	0
1L attrition (academic / other)	8 / 0
Transfers in / out	4 / 1

Cost & scholarships

Resident tuition	$23,667
Non-resident tuition	$23,667
Mandatory fees	$400
Living-expense estimate	$22,742
Median grant	$8,274
Grant 25 / 75 percentile	$4,137 / $12,411
No-grant share	22.2%
< half-tuition grants	52.4%
Half-to-full grants	25.4%
Full-tuition grants	0.0%
Above-full grants (stipend)	0.0%
Conditional-scholarship loss rate	—

Bar passage

First-Time Bar (2024 cohort)	57.14%
Two-Year Ultimate Bar	82.95%
State average (same exam)	78.7%
Difference vs. state	-21.5 pts

Different cohorts: first-time bar passage reflects graduates who entered law school about three years before the current admissions class shown above. Read the two as separate snapshots, not a single pipeline.

Job outcomes (10 months after graduation)

Total graduates	107
FTLT (full-time, long-term, JD-required/advantage)	77.6%
Bar-required jobs	70.1%
MegaLaw 500+	0.0%
BigLaw 251–500	0.9%
Mid 101–250	3.7%
Small 2–100	34.6%
Solo	0.9%
Clerkships	0.9%
Government	18.7%
Public interest	13.1%
Business / industry	6.5%
Academia	0.0%
Seeking employment	10.3%

Top destination states (2024)

Illinois, 67 graduates
California, 2 graduates
Michigan, 2 graduates

Demographics (current JD enrollment)

Male enrollment	153 (43.7%)
Female enrollment	197 (56.3%)
White	222
Black	39
Hispanic	38
Asian	21
Two or more races	27
Other / unreported	5

Faculty

Total faculty	48
Full-time	26
Faculty of color	11

State market context

Mean attorney salary in state	$175,180

Frequently asked questions

What is the first-time bar passage rate at Northern Illinois University School of Law?

Northern Illinois University School of Law reported a 57.14% first-time bar passage rate in the most recent ABA Standard 509 disclosure, versus a 78.7% state average.

How much does Northern Illinois University School of Law cost?

Resident tuition at Northern Illinois University School of Law is $23,667 per year (about $71,001 over three years). The median grant is $8,274, bringing median net tuition to roughly $15,393 per year.

What LSAT and GPA do you need for Northern Illinois University School of Law?

The median (50th-percentile) LSAT at Northern Illinois University School of Law is 150 and the median GPA is 3.41; the acceptance rate is 44.3%.

What are the job outcomes at Northern Illinois University School of Law?

77.6% of Northern Illinois University School of Law graduates held full-time, long-term JD-required or JD-advantage jobs about ten months after graduation. 0.9% joined large firms of 251+ attorneys. 10.3% were still seeking employment.

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See Northern Illinois University School of Law’s year-by-year trajectory since 2011 — LSAT, bar passage, employment & cost →

Other law schools in Illinois

See all Illinois law schools and how they compare →

Data from the ABA Standard 509 disclosures, self-reported by law schools and not guaranteed (raw data may have errors or omissions). State attorney-salary context: U.S. BLS OEWS 2024 (SOC 23-1011); cost-of-living: U.S. BEA Regional Price Parities. How the data is sourced & validated: Methodology. Unfamiliar with a term (FTLT, net tuition, bimodal)? Glossary. Copyright basis & permitted use: Terms.