Western Illinois University

Macomb, IL · Public

Official website

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Admission rate

Western Illinois University admitted 71.2% of applicants university-wide (6,172 of 8,671).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide71.2%6,1728,671
In-state72.9%5,6217,708
Out-of-state69.4%477687
International applicants26.4%72273
Men67.1%2,3333,475
Women73.9%3,8415,199

Also offers Restrictive Early Action — the Common Data Set doesn't publish EA admit counts.

Of 6,172 admitted students, 634 enrolled (10.3% yield).

Western Illinois University U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections C1–C2 · 2023Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

SAT (mid-50%)
870–1120
ACT (mid-50%)
17–23
GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
3.003.99

Testing policy: Test-blind (scores not considered)

Western Illinois University U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections C9–C12 · 2023Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $33,308/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$9,927
Fees, housing, food, books & other$23,381
Sticker cost of attendance$33,308/yr

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

Under $30k$6,941
$30k–48k$8,787
$48k–75k$12,062
$75k–110k$16,294
Over $110k$19,701

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

US applicants

Need- and merit-based aid available.

  • Presidential Scholarship$10,000 per year (Presidential)
  • Academic Excellence AwardUp to $4,000 per year (Automatic)
  • Centennial Scholarship$2,000 per year (Merit)
  • WIU GrantVaries (Need Based)
  • WIU Scholars AwardFull tuition and fees (Full Tuition)

International applicants

No need-based aid reported for internationals.

  • International Presidential Scholarship$14,000 per year (Presidential)
  • International Merit Scholarship$10,000 per year (International Aid)
  • Global Ambassador Scholarship$1,000 per year (Merit)

Western Illinois University U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections G–H · 2023

Application requirements

US applicants

  • High School Transcript
  • Standardized Test Scores (ACT/SAT) (optional)
  • Application fee

International applicants

  • High School Transcript
  • Standardized Test Scores (ACT/SAT) (optional)
  • Application fee
  • English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)

Western Illinois University · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

Essay prompts

Western Illinois University requires no supplemental essays.

Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 4, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$54,163
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
45.2%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
61.4%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$25,251
At graduation

Western Illinois University · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Published rankings

  • WSJ: #285

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Business & marketing (13%), Psychology (7%), Visual & performing arts (6%).

Student–faculty ratio: 12:1 · 69% of class sections have under 20 students.

Western Illinois University U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections E, F, I · 2023Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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