Stipends and Costs

Cost of Attendance

To help students plan their finances, NIU provides a Planning and Cost Estimator.

Graduate Stipends

Per the BIOS Graduate Student Handbook, MS students can anticipate two academic years of financial support and PhD students can anticipate up to five academic years of financial support. A number of factors play into students' stipends, though graduate students on full-time teaching assistantships can anticipate the following pre-tax stipend amounts:

MS: $952 per two week pay period ($17,153 per academic year)

PhD (pre-candidacy): $1,005 per two week pay period ($18,095 per academic year)

PhD (post-candidacy): $1,083 per two week pay period ($19,497 per academic year)

Graduate Tuition Waivers

NIU provides graduate tuition waivers that cover most, but not all, tuition costs and student fees. As of AY 2020-2021, students may expect the following rates:

Tuition: $492.06/credit (domestic), $849.06/credit (international)

Fees: $15 physiology material fee (applied semesterly), $35 graduation fee (applied during semester of graduation)

Tuition waiver: $397/credit

Approximate remaining cost: $110.06/credit (domestic), $467.06/credit (international)

For the most up-to-date information on tuition costs, please visit NIU's Graduate Tuition and Fees website.

Health Insurance

The university requires that all students have adequate health insurance while attending NIU. NIU automatically enrolls students in its Student Health Insurance program (which must be waived at the start of each semester, if you have other healthcare coverage). As of 2020-2021, students may expect the following rates:

Semester cost: $1,114

Dependent coverage: $1,114 (one child), $2,228 (two or more children)

On-campus Parking

Graduate students that do not live in a residence hall are eligible for a yellow permit. As of 2020-2021, students may expect the following rates:

Fall: $70 (online ordering) or $85 (purchase in-office or via mail) [expire 31 Dec]

Spring: $70 (online ordering) or $85 (purchase in-office or via mail) [expire 31 May]

Spring/summer: $72 (online ordering) or $87 (purchase in-office or via mail) [expire 15 August]

Annual: $92 (online ordering) [available fall semesters, expire 15 August the following year]

For the most up-to-date information on parking costs, please visit NIU's Permit Rates website.

Budget-saving Community Resources for Students

Textbooks

Books for classes: There are copies of textbooks around the department for some of the more frequently taught courses. Ask lab mates or other grads to borrow copies.

Books for TAs: TAs are not required to purchase their own textbooks. Please contact the course supervisor to receive a copy of teaching materials. If a course supervisor implies textbooks must be purchased, contact the BIOS Chair or BGSA President.

Housing

There are numerous apartment rental agencies and private homes for rent/sale around DeKalb. As of 2020-2021, studio rentals are approximately $500-600/mo and 3+ bedroom apartments range $1,200-1,400/mo. Rental agencies may require credit checks. Utilities may be covered by rent; we recommend asking rental agencies for more detail.

Grad students may be able to save money by renting with roommates. BGSA Facebook, NIU's off-campus housing guide, and the NIU subreddit are good places to find roommates.

Food

Huskie Food Pantry: NIU has a food pantry that is available to all currently enrolled students that have a NIU OneCard with them and are not on a meal plan. The food pantry is generally open on Thursdays, 5-7pm.

Communiversity Gardens: Produce grown at the Communiversity Gardens is donated to the Huskie Food Pantry. Volunteers are welcome to harvest produce for themselves after the harvest for the pantry is complete. Please visit the Communiversity Gardens website for more information.

Huskie Line Bus Service

The Huskie Line is a free bus service (excluding Route 12) to all currently enrolled NIU students that have a NIU OneCard with them.

Budget-saving Government Programs

You may be eligible for government assistance benefits. In the state of Illinois, you can apply for healthcare coverage, SNAP, and cash assistance programs using a singular application available here.

  • Healthcare coverage (Medicaid, federal government subsidized medical insurance) offers coverage to eligible children, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities. These programs provide access to healthcare at a reasonable cost. Otherwise, the Affordable Care Act offers affordable healthcare.

  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps) helps low-income people and families buy the food they need for good health. Benefits are provided on an Illinois Link Card, an electronic card that is accepted at most grocery stores.

  • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF, cash assistance) provides temporary financial and healthcare coverage for pregnant women and families with 1 or more dependent children. TANF provides financial assistance to pay for food, utilities, and expenses other than medical.