BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofit

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Great Lakes·iwu.edu
6-yr Graduation
75%
+19.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
1,582
peer median 1,032
Avg net price
$29,550
+$10.0k vs Baccalaureate
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
9,558
9,558 candidates competed
Admitted
3,757
39.3% acceptance rate
Enrolled
461
12.3% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
75%+19.0pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
66%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
75%
Full-time retention
80%

Pell equity

4.0pp gap
Pell recipients
77%
Non-Pell
73%

Pell recipients graduate at a higher rate than non-Pell students here — unusual and worth investigating.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 45 Title IV programs, 7 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 37 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
45
Passing
7
15.6% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
2.2% of portfolio
Fail rate
2.2%
+1.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

45programs
  • Passing7 · 15.6%
  • No Data37 · 82.2%
  • Failing1 · 2.2%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
1
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
7
No data
37

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

8
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-10.4%
$31,172 vs $34,808
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+46.8%
$51,107 vs $34,808
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+66.2%
$57,839 vs $34,808
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+79.7%
$62,541 vs $34,808
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+104.2%
$71,088 vs $34,808
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+142.8%
$84,527 vs $34,808
Accounting and Related Services
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+178.7%
$97,022 vs $34,808
Finance and Financial Management Services
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+191.9%
$101,609 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

7
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
87%
$27,000 debt · $31,172 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
45%
$26,000 debt · $57,839 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
43%
$27,000 debt · $62,541 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
38%
$26,644 debt · $71,088 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
31%
$26,500 debt · $84,527 earn
Accounting and Related Services
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
27%
$26,483 debt · $97,022 earn
Finance and Financial Management Services
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
26%
$26,500 debt · $101,609 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1916Next review Aug 2033

Programmatic accreditations · 2

Action history · 4

  1. Jan 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  2. Jan 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  3. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs
  4. Jan 2013Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$21,011
$30–48k$24,494
$48–75k$24,284
$75–110k$28,757
$110k+$35,699

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$29,550
+$9,981vs Baccalaureate median $19,569
Federal loans
63.1%
In-state tuition
$55,704
Out-of-state
$55,704

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 514 students received $3.1M in Pell grants, alongside $11.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
514
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$3.1M
$3,103,000 total
Direct Loans
$11.2M
1,873 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$3.2M
744 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.2M
900 loan awards
Parent PLUS$4.8M
229 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 366 borrowers who entered repayment, 3 (0.8%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.8%
-1.5pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
366
Defaulted
3
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
2.5%
2017
1.4%
2018
2.4%
2019
0.8%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Illinois Wesleyan

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs48
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

333 total completions
01Business
8324.9%
02Visual/Performing Arts
3911.7%
03Biological Sciences
3711.1%
04Health Professions
3711.1%
05Psychology
3410.2%
06Social Sciences
298.7%
07Education
267.8%
08Physical Sciences
185.4%
09Computer Sciences
185.4%
10Parks/Recreation
123.6%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
1,582
12-mo unduplicated
1,621
Undergraduate
1,621
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
52%836
Women
48%785

Race / ethnicity composition

White
65.8%
Hispanic
10.2%
Black
8.4%
Non-resident
5.8%
Asian
5.7%
Unknown
2.0%
Two or more
1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
628
427 M · 201 W
Women athletes
32.0%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$4.8M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$55K
$32K
Head-coach salaries
$43K
$37K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 13

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
132 M · 111 W
$351K
Football
133 M ·
$562K
Lacrosse
45 M · 19 W
$459K
Soccer
33 M · 26 W
$335K
Baseball
56 M ·
$196K
Volleyball
25 M · 21 W
$307K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
4.58
7 offenses · 1,527 students

3-year trend

4.282 yrs ago2.421 yr ago4.58Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
18
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
2
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
3
Fondling
2
Motor vehicle theft
2

By location

7total
  • On campus5
  • Non-campus1
  • Public property1

Includes 3 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs09
Liquor035

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
12.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
100

Illinois Wesleyan vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Illinois Wesleyan selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectIllinois Wesleyan University
75%1,582$29,550Baccalaureate
Quincy University
45%50.9%1,210$17,324Baccalaureate
Millikin University
55%66.7%1,586$8,837Baccalaureate
Trinity Christian College
58%84.9%854$16,381Baccalaureate
Eureka College
41%85.0%527$22,048Baccalaureate
Blackburn College
57%63.2%513$21,814Baccalaureate
Peer group median56%66.7%1,032$19,569

Frequently asked questions about Illinois Wesleyan University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Illinois Wesleyan.

What is the graduation rate at Illinois Wesleyan University?

Illinois Wesleyan University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 75% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Illinois Wesleyan University?

Illinois Wesleyan University reports a total enrollment of 1,582 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Illinois Wesleyan University?

The average net price at Illinois Wesleyan University is $29,550 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Illinois Wesleyan University?

Illinois Wesleyan University's yield rate is 12.3%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Illinois Wesleyan University located?

Illinois Wesleyan University is located in Bloomington, Illinois 61702-2900.

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