public, coeducational university in DeKalb, Illinois, U.S. The university was founded in 1895 as Northern Illinois State Normal (teacher-training) School. Instruction began in 1899. It became a four-year state teachers college in 1921, and in 1951 it began offering graduate studies. Northern Illinois was elevated to university standing in 1957. Total enrollment is about 25,000.

Northern Illinois is divided into seven colleges (business, education, engineering and engineering technology, health and human sciences, law, liberal arts and sciences, and visual and performing arts) and offers a range of bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs, including a doctorate in jurisprudence. The university also operates outreach centres in Oregon, Hoffman Estates, Rockford, and Naperville. Research facilities include the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies, the Regional History Center, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, and the Center for Burma Studies. The university has museums of art, anthropology, and education.