Niering was born in Scotrun, Pennsylvania, to George and Emma Everitt Niering. He attended Pennsylvania State University in 1942. His education was interrupted by World War II, when he served in the army from 1942 to 1945; his active service took place in the South Pacific and he attained the rank of staff sergeant. After the war, he returned to Penn State. There, he received his undergraduate degree in biology in 1948 and his master's degree in botany in 1950. He received his PhD in plant ecology from Rutgers University in 1952.
