Capital University vs Northern Illinois University
Where graduates end up, what each school really costs, and who gets in, side by side from each school's official ABA data. Add your LSAT and GPA to see your chances and scholarship estimates at both.
VS
Add your numbersSee your admission chances and scholarship estimates at both schools.
The short version
- =About the same placement. 0.8% of Capital's Class of 2025 and 0.0% of Northern Illinois's went to BigLaw or federal clerkships.
- Northern Illinois costs about $16K less over three years after the average scholarship: $121K against $136K.
- Capital is harder to get into: a 151 median LSAT and a 65.9% acceptance rate, against 150 and 44.3% at Northern Illinois.
- Capital has the higher first time bar pass rate: 73.7% against 61.9%.
Capital
vs
Northern Illinois
Where graduates go
Capital leads 4 of 5
✓0.8%
BigLaw + federal clerkships
0.0%
✓0.8%
BigLaw (501+ attorney firms)
0.0%
0.0%
Federal clerkships
0.0%
✓85.1%
Graduates employed
79.4%
✓73.7%
First time bar passage
61.9%
What it costs
Capital leads 3 of 4
$136K
Three year net cost
✓$121K
✓96%
Students receiving a scholarship
78%
✓$21,000/yr
Median scholarship (recipients)
$8,274/yr
✓$21,123/yr
Average scholarship (all students)
$6,639/yr
Who gets in
Acceptance rate: Capital 65.9% · Northern Illinois 44.3%
LSAT
Bars run from the 25th to the 75th percentile, with the median marked.
Capital
148151157
Northern Illinois
148150154
146148150152154156158160
GPA
Undergraduate GPA of the entering class, same scale for both schools.
Capital
3.073.443.66
Northern Illinois
3.173.413.64
3.003.103.203.303.403.503.603.70
Capital University
Northern Illinois University
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Frequently asked questions
Is Capital or Northern Illinois better for BigLaw?
Capital placed more of its Class of 2025 in BigLaw or federal clerkships: 0.8% against 0.0%. By BigLaw alone (firms of 501+ attorneys), Capital placed 0.8% and Northern Illinois placed 0.0%. Federal clerkships were 0.0% at Capital and 0.0% at Northern Illinois.
Which is harder to get into, Capital or Northern Illinois?
Capital's Fall 2025 entering class had a median LSAT of 151 and a median GPA of 3.44, with a 65.9% acceptance rate. Northern Illinois's had 150 and 3.41, with 44.3%. Add your LSAT and GPA above to see your estimated chances at both.
Which costs less, Capital or Northern Illinois?
After the average scholarship, three years cost about $136K at Capital and $121K at Northern Illinois, including living costs. Public schools are shown at out of state tuition. Your own scholarship can move these numbers a lot, so add your numbers above for an estimate.
Which gives more scholarship money, Capital or Northern Illinois?
96% of Capital students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $21,000 a year among recipients. 78% of Northern Illinois students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $8,274 a year among recipients.
Which has the better bar passage rate?
73.7% of Capital's first time takers passed in 2025, against 61.9% at Northern Illinois. Each school's profile shows how that compares with the states where its graduates sat.
Should I choose Capital or Northern Illinois?
It depends on your goals, your odds and your offers. Compare where each school's graduates end up, then add your LSAT and GPA above to see your estimated chances and scholarships at both. Your scholarship offer usually changes the cost more than anything else.
What a higher LSAT changes
Move the LSAT slider in the admissions calculator to watch your odds and scholarship estimates change at every school.
Figures come from each school’s official ABA disclosures. Admission chances and scholarship estimates are modeled from that data and are not predictions of any individual decision. Our data and methodology