DeKALB — Enrollment data from 2025 show a continued growth in several majors across campus, along with an overall increase in total student enrollment compared to the previous academic year.
According to enrollment data provided by NIU, the university recorded 12,118 undergraduate students along with 3,608 graduate students, totaling general enrollment to 15,726 students in 2025. This is a 649 increase compared to the 15,077 total students enrolled in 2024.
1: Bachelor of science, health sciences
Over the past three years, enrollment in the bachelor of science in health sciences (general) has been the highest among all programs.
The program prepares students to enter allied health and other health-related fields. This major is intended for students interested in the fields of medical laboratory sciences, nursing, physical therapy and other health professions.
Over the past year, the number of students enrolled in this program has grown from 659 to 753 students.
2: Bachelor of arts, psychology
The bachelor of arts psychology program ranked as the second-most popular major in 2025, showing a significant increase since last year’s enrollment. The program focuses on preparing students for nontraditional settings, including schools, hospitals, businesses, government, mental health organizations, laboratories and nonprofit organizations.
Over the past year, the number of students enrolled in this program has grown from 554 to 642 students.
3: Bachelor of science, business administration
Business administration (BS) has also remained one of NIU’s most enrolled majors over the past few years. The program provides education in all areas of business, including accounting, finance, management, marketing, operations management and information systems.
From 2024 to 2025, business administration enrollment increased from 566 to 583 students.
Total undergraduate enrollment
While numerous undergraduate programs experienced an increase in student enrollment, other large programs such as nursing, pre-computer science and early childhood education with preschool special education approval (BS) are among the majors that saw a decrease in enrollment from the previous academic year.
Several majors, particularly those with fewer than 50 students enrolled, also experienced a decline in enrollment since last year. These smaller programs include – but are not limited to – history (BS), decreased from 34 to 31 students; sociology: general sociology (BA), decreased from 45 to 30 students; and art (BS), decreased from 30 to 28 students.
Rylie Sturm, a junior double-majoring in political science and history, expressed that her decision to pursue history was influenced by personal interest rather than popularity trends.
“I chose history because it’s genuinely my passion and I love it so much,” Sturm said. “I had the most amazing and passionate history and political science teacher who really showed me that you can have a career in both of those fields.”
Accelerated law degrees
While undergraduate enrollment grew in several majors, accelerated programs also experienced enrollment changes as well. Enrollment in the College of Law increased over the past few years, rising from 314 students to 352 students between 2023 and 2025.
NIU’s College of Law is the only public law school in the greater Chicago area. NIU offers direct access to a major legal market while maintaining the lowest graduate debt loan in Illinois. This program is known as a “3+3” program, which leads to both an undergraduate degree and a J.D. at the end of six years.
For Ava Mossop, a junior majoring in political science, her academic path has been influenced by her goals beyond graduation.
“I’ve never considered switching my major. I’ve always had a passion for understanding government, understanding why our system is the way that it is,” Mossop said. “I’ve never really wanted to do anything else. I really do want to go to law school afterwards.”
Graduate enrollment trends
Graduate enrollment has also reduced over the past year. In 2024, the total number of students amounted to 3,728 in comparison to 3,608 in 2025. The decrease reflects enrollment shifts across multiple graduate programs, contributing to the overall drop in graduate student numbers.
The 2025 enrollment data shows both growth and decline across NIU’s academic programs.
