Northern Illinois University vs University of Alabama

The main campus sits on 756 acres in DeKalb and includes 64 major buildings. Additional campus sites include, the Lorado Taft Field Campus (144 acres), Rockford Campus (10 acres), and the Naperville Campus (11.2 acres).

The University of Alabama was founded in 1831 in Tuscaloosa and is the state of Alabama's oldest public university. In 1936, UA established an extension center in Birmingham, and the University of Alabama School of Medicine moved there in the same year. In 1950, another extension center was set up in Huntsville.

The Holmes Student Center houses several lounges, computer labs, restaurants, and the University Bookstore. It is home to the Huskies Den, which features bowling, billiards, a video arcade and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One gaming. The Holmes Student Center also houses a 78-room hotel. The lower level of the Holmes Student Center reopened after renovations were completed in January 2020. The renovations include a convenience store, the University Bookstore, a Starbucks, the Huskie Den Grill, bowling & billiards, and a wealth of seating. NIU's residence halls (including two complexes with four 12-story towers each) provide several living options to on-campus students. On the west side of campus is Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium, the home of NIU football games, which also often hosts other outdoor events. Huskie Stadium, which has a seating capacity over 30,000, is surrounded by large open grassy areas which provide recreation, and also serve as the tailgating lots for football games. There is also a baseball field, Ralph McKinzie Field; a softball field, Mary M. Bell Field; a soccer field, Huskie Soccer Complex; and tennis courts, Gullikson Tennis Courts, which flank Huskie Stadium. The Student Recreation Center is the main facility for Recreation Services. The building, serving approximately 2,000 patrons daily, features services to meet students' recreation, fitness and wellness needs. NIU has more than 400 student organizations, including recreational sports clubs such as lacrosse, volleyball, rugby, swimming, and ice hockey. Groups embrace interests from academics, advocacy, athletics and the arts to community service, ethnicity, politics, language studies, and religion.

UA offers a complete educational, cultural and social experience. Whatever your interests, you’ll find a group, an organization, an activity or a program that appeals to you. UA invests significant resources in activities and initiatives designed to increase student's security on the campus and their ability to make responsible decisions that enhance their well-being. UA students are from many backgrounds with differing interests and passions. The university  makes sure that the students have the information, resources and support that they need to succeed here and for a lifetime. Whether their interests are intellectual, social, recreational, cultural, multicultural or spiritual in nature, there is a place for everyone at UA. At the university you can take advantage of a robust and varied schedule of musical, dance and theatre performances, art galleries and exhibitions, museums, lectures and readings by writers, poets and experts on every topic imaginable.  Several events are also held for the students on campus every month or week. Students are also provided with the options of on cmapus accommodation and dining facilities. 

Jerry M. Anderson, 9th President of Ball State University
Gregg Andrews, labor historian and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Texas State University
Judith Curry, climatologis

Brian Godawa, screenwriter and author
Steve Harris, actor, Emmy Award nominee, The Practice
Wood Harris, actor, Remember the Titans and The Wire

Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Hugo Black

Author Harper Lee

Former Governor of Alabama George Wallace

Football player Julio Jones

Co-founder of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales

Former U.S. Senator Doug Jones