Chicago State vs Western Illinois University (WIU)

When it comes to higher education in Illinois, Chicago State University and Western Illinois University stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. Chicago State, located in the heart of Chicago, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on urban education, while Western Illinois, situated in the charming town of Macomb, offers a more traditional college experience with a focus on liberal arts and sciences. With acceptance rates of 75% and 80% respectively, both universities welcome a wide range of students. While Chicago State excels in programs like Criminal Justice and Social Work, Western Illinois shines in fields such as Agriculture and Education. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these universities, including graduation rates, student demographics, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Chicago State University	Western Illinois University
Overview
Location	Chicago, Illinois	Macomb, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Large	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	41.0%	72.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	47.5%	72.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	4,805	7,156
Total number of admissions given out	2,281	5,187
Admitted students who chose to enroll	168	920
Yield rate	7.4%	17.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$26,179	$29,140
Average net price	$4,846	$11,666
Tuition	$7,488	$9,238
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,000 Meal plan: $4,400	Room/dormitory: $6,240 Meal plan: $3,952
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	95.0% Average amount $17,067	94.0% Average amount $13,937
Students receiving federal student loan	92.0% Average amount $3,945	50.0% Average amount $5,417
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	5.0% Average amount $9,533

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,502 Men 30.7% Women 69.3%	5,394 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%
Graduate students	864 Men 30.0% Women 70.0%	2,061 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	9.7%
International students	6.0%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	300	3,083
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Illinois Iowa Missouri Wisconsin Indiana

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Psychology Business Education Liberal Arts	Education Business Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	21.0%	50.9%
Dropout rate	31.5%	16.5%
Transferred out	43.8%	31.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $105,786 Year 2: $120,252 Year 3: $126,376 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,021 Year 2: $68,858 Year 3: $70,334 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,393 Year 2: $61,814 Year 3: $69,196 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,652 Year 2: $39,639 Year 3: $50,599 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $40,368 Year 3: $48,532 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,049 Year 2: $36,437 Year 3: $40,472 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,389 Year 2: $29,443 Year 3: $37,767 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,482 Year 2: $37,856 Year 3: $37,056 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,460 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $32,295 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,067 Year 2: $27,358 Year 3: $31,994	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,427 Year 2: $63,166 Year 3: $79,149 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,346 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: $72,457 Engineering Technology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,220 Year 2: $60,771 Year 3: $65,823 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $64,904 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,827 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $64,741 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,966 Year 2: $58,334 Year 3: $63,350 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,154 Year 2: $49,729 Year 3: $54,520 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,063 Year 2: $43,612 Year 3: $53,379 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,058 Year 2: $48,667 Year 3: $52,271 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,853 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $51,827

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