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U.S. News & World Report Names Northeastern Illinois University
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Dana Navarro
August 31, 2010 (773) 442-4227
d-navarro@neiu.edu
U.S. News & World Report Names Northeastern Illinois University Students Most Ethnically Diverse and with the Least Debt Upon Graduation
CHICAGO - Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) in Chicago has been ranked number one in the Midwest for two categories in this year's rankings published in U.S. News & World Report's annual edition of "Best Colleges." For the first time, NEIU has been ranked the school with graduates who have incurred the least amount of student loan debt. Also, NEIU has again been ranked the most ethnically diverse university in the Midwest, a ranking the University has held since the magazine started listing this category in 1997.
Least Debt
The data for the debt rankings were drawn from each institution's 2009 graduating class. According to U.S. News & World Report, the data include loans taken out by students from the colleges themselves, from financial institutions, and from federal, state and local governments. Parents' loans are not included. Only 16 percent of Northeastern's 2009 graduating class incurred debt, and those students borrowed an average of $10,903. Northeastern's percentage of students incurring debt is the lowest in the country, and the amount of debt they incurred is the lowest in the Midwest.
Maureen Amos, director of financial aid at Northeastern Illinois University, said, "Northeastern works very hard to keep its costs affordable. We also made some recent changes to improve our financial aid services. Further, we do our best to work with our students to ensure that if they take out loans that the repayment will be manageable after they graduate."
Most Diverse
The data for the diversity rankings were drawn from each institution's 2009-2010 enrollment numbers. According to U.S. News & World Report, the groups forming the basis for the diversity ranking calculations were American Indians and Native Alaskans, Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, African-Americans who are non-Hispanic, whites who are non-Hispanic, and Hispanics.
Northeastern Illinois University is a fully accredited public university serving approximately 12,000 students in the Chicago area with an affordable, high quality academic experience. NEIU offers more than 70 undergraduate and graduate programs in the arts, sciences, education and business.
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