Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublic

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois·Public, 4-year or above·Great Lakes·wiu.edu
6-yr Graduation
45%
-3.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
6,332
peer median 7,713
Avg net price
$12,937
-$659 vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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About

Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College. Once Western Illinois started offering graduate degrees, it again changed its name to Western Illinois State College. Western Illinois has an additional campus in Moline.

Admissions & acceptance rate

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

IPEDS
Applied
8,674
8,674 candidates competed
Admitted
6,174
71.2% acceptance rate
Enrolled
634
10.3% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
45%-3.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
31%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
45%
Full-time retention
61%

Pell equity

19.3pp gap
Pell recipients
36%171 of 477
Non-Pell (all)
55%245 of 443
Subsidized loan, no Pell
58%81 of 140
No Federal Aid
54%164 of 303

Non-Pell students graduate at a 19.3-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

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

FVT/GE

Of 122 Title IV programs, 51 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 2 fail. 69 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
122
Passing
51
41.8% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
2
1.6% of portfolio
Fail rate
1.6%
+1.0pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

122programs
  • Passing51 · 41.8%
  • No Data69 · 56.6%
  • Failing2 · 1.6%

Severity spectrum

Critical
1
Severe
1
Recoverable
0
At Risk
4
Watch
7
Safe
40
No data
69

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.

53
Museology/Museum Studies
Master's Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
-19.1%
$43,387 vs $53,607
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-8.0%
$56,934 vs $61,854
Parks Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+0.9%
$52,028 vs $51,545
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+2.6%
$35,703 vs $34,808
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+6.3%
$54,783 vs $51,545
Biology General
Master's Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+7.6%
$57,753 vs $53,672
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
+10.2%
$51,103 vs $46,391
English Language and Literature General
Master's Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+13.1%
$55,987 vs $49,483

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

2
Parks Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+0.9%
+$483
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+2.6%
+$895

Debt vs earnings

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

42
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
76%
$27,177 debt · $35,703 earn
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
76%
$38,132 debt · $50,080 earn
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
75%
$29,517 debt · $39,609 earn
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
69%
$37,057 debt · $54,059 earn
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
67%
$38,023 debt · $56,934 earn
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
64%
$31,567 debt · $49,431 earn
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
61%
$31,211 debt · $51,103 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
60%
$27,000 debt · $44,683 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1913Next review Aug 2031

Programmatic accreditations · 10

Action history · 15

  1. May 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  2. Feb 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  3. Jan 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  4. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  5. Jul 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$6,941
$30–48k$8,787
$48–75k$12,062
$75–110k$16,294
$110k+$19,701

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

Avg net price
$12,937
-$659vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $13,596
Federal loans
31.7%
In-state tuition
$15,264
Out-of-state
$15,264

Federal aid volume & trends

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

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 2,241 students received $12.2M in Pell grants, alongside $20.6M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
2,241
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$12.2M
$12,211,345 total
Direct Loans
$20.6M
3,493 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

3k
’20
3k
’21
3k
’22
2k
’23
2k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$5.6M
1,387 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$5.3M
1,368 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$5.9M
423 loan awards
Parent PLUS$3.2M
249 loan awards
Grad PLUS$619K
66 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.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 2,629 borrowers who entered repayment, 86 (3.2%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.2%
+0.9pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
2,629
Defaulted
86
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
9.5%
2017
8.8%
2018
7.9%
2019
3.2%
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 Western Illinois

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs91
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,417 total completions
01Education
37026.1%
02Business
22415.8%
03Security/Protective
20814.7%
04Liberal Arts
1158.1%
05Computer Sciences
1097.7%
06Social Sciences
916.4%
07Psychology
876.1%
08Health Professions
735.2%
09Parks/Recreation
725.1%
10Multi/Interdisciplinary
684.8%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
6,332
12-mo unduplicated
7,359
Undergraduate
5,182
Graduate
2,177

Gender split

Men
41%3,008
Women
59%4,351

Race / ethnicity composition

White
57.9%
Black
18.7%
Hispanic
11.9%
Non-resident
4.5%
Two or more
3.5%
Unknown
2.0%
Asian
1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

EADA
Athletes
358
216 M · 142 W
Women athletes
39.7%
Athletic aid
$4.5M
Total student aid
Budget
$14.8M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$2.7M
$1.9M
Recruiting expense
$32K
$46K
Head-coach salaries
$104K
$44K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
45 M · 90 W
$761K
Football
114 M · —
$3.5M
Soccer
29 M · 29 W
$1.1M
Baseball
34 M · —
$773K
Basketball
14 M · 14 W
$2.6M
Softball
— · 24 W
$658K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.41
10 offenses · 7,073 students

3-year trend

1.612 yrs ago2.491 yr ago1.41Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
41
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
38
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
15

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
6
Fondling
2
Rape
1
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

10total
  • On campus10

Includes 5 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

2
Domestic violence
11
Dating violence
1
Stalking
14 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons11
Drugs683
Liquor665

Residence-hall fires

  • Lincoln Hall1 fire
    Heating equipmentDamage $0-$99
  • Thompson Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
12.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
385

Western Illinois vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Western Illinois selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
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
SubjectWestern Illinois University
45%—6,332$12,937Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Monterey Bay
59%97.4%7,713$13,663Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Colorado State University Global
—98.4%10,257$16,510Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Columbus State University
43%99.1%7,913$13,115Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Eastern Illinois University
47%65.3%8,505$12,786Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Empire State University
36%81.1%10,469$11,676Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Georgia College & State University
64%78.2%7,097$20,686Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
54%90.8%7,467$21,331Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Louisiana State University-Shreveport
38%50.5%10,749$7,022Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Millersville University of Pennsylvania
58%86.2%6,975$20,787Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Morehead State University
52%77.2%8,791$9,793Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
North Carolina Central University
42%87.0%8,579$15,359Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Northwestern State University of Louisiana
45%92.5%8,523$13,606Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Purdue University Northwest
43%72.4%9,051$6,079Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Saginaw Valley State University
48%72.1%6,822$10,775Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Saint Cloud State University
39%94.8%10,732$13,529Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Salisbury University
68%87.5%7,025$17,743Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Sonoma State University
58%93.4%5,891$12,885Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
State University of New York at New Paltz
72%61.6%7,898$18,809Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
State University of New York at Oswego
60%80.5%6,715$16,236Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
SUNY Brockport
55%70.7%7,482$16,353Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
SUNY Buffalo State University
33%72.9%6,188$11,346Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Alaska Anchorage
28%66.5%10,493$15,301Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Michigan-Dearborn
58%55.6%8,104$9,492Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
44%93.3%7,674$10,260Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Southern Indiana
48%95.8%9,488$12,923Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Southern Maine
40%79.2%7,604$13,596Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
61%89.4%6,389$16,032Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Wisconsin-Stout
55%87.7%6,926$17,490Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median48%83.7%7,713$13,596

Institutions like Western Illinois

Explore the federal data for institutions in Western Illinois's comparison group.

IPEDS

Western Illinois Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research and Planning
Email
IRP [at] wiu.edu
Phone
(309) 298-1185
Address
Sherman Hall 315, 1 University Circle, Macomb, IL 61455

Measuring Performance & Planning for the Future of WIU

Visit IR office page
Team
3 members
  • Linda Prosise
    Associate Director
  • Sue Thorman
    Information Technology Technical Associate
  • Yunfei Zhou
    Enrollment & Retention Data Analyst I

Common Data Set

Western Illinois's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Source publications

Reports & documents (3)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Notable alumni of Western Illinois (13)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Darwin Gale Schisler
    Politics
  • Tod Bowman
    Politics
  • Kathie Conway
    Politics
  • Randy Frese
    Politics
  • Joe Hutter
    Politics
  • Kimberly Lightford
    Politics
  • Mona Martin
    Politics
  • Jerry L. Mitchell
    Politics
  • John Millner
    Politics
  • Richard P. Myers
    Politics
  • Matthew Shirk
    Politics
  • Caryl M. Stern
    Activism
Showing 1–12 of 13
1 / 2

Frequently asked questions about Western Illinois University

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

What is the graduation rate at Western Illinois University?

Western Illinois University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 45% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Western Illinois University?

Western Illinois University reports a total enrollment of 6,332 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Western Illinois University?

The average net price at Western Illinois University is $12,937 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Western Illinois University?

Western Illinois University's yield rate is 10.3%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Western Illinois University located?

Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois 61455.

Who runs Institutional Research at Western Illinois University?

Western Illinois University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research and Planning.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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