Clarke University vs Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU)

Clarke University and Illinois Wesleyan University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Clarke, a Catholic university in Dubuque, Iowa, boasts a 90% acceptance rate, while Illinois Wesleyan, a private liberal arts college in Bloomington, Illinois, has a more selective 68% acceptance rate. Clarke's student body is predominantly female (63%), while Illinois Wesleyan's is more evenly balanced (52% female, 48% male). Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors at Clarke including nursing, business, and education, and popular majors at Illinois Wesleyan including biology, psychology, and economics. With graduation rates of 63% and 75% respectively, both universities are committed to student success. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and find the university that best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Clarke University	Illinois Wesleyan University
Overview
Location	Dubuque, Iowa	Bloomington, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	65.0%	85.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.8%	45.2%
Application fees
SAT range	900 - 1120	1110 - 1310
ACT range	19 - 23	24 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%	33.0%
Students submitting ACT score	21.0%	31.0%
Total number of applicants	2,006	4,543
Total number of admissions given out	1,781	2,055
Admitted students who chose to enroll	183	432
Yield rate	10.3%	21.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$52,241	$67,124
Average net price	$25,414	$30,610
Tuition	$35,740	$52,308
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,900 Meal plan: $5,500	Room/dormitory: $7,584 Meal plan: $4,528
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $23,968	100.0% Average amount $34,810
Students receiving federal student loan	81.0% Average amount $8,599	68.0% Average amount $5,692
Students taking out private loans	27.0% Average amount $12,203	35.0% Average amount $6,781

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	717 Men 54.5% Women 45.5%	1,653 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%
Graduate students	171 Men 22.2% Women 77.8%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	4.6%	3.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	536	1,308
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Philosophy and Religious Studies	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Education Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	54.5%	81.1%
Dropout rate	6.2%	18.7%
Transferred out	39.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $92,062 Year 2: $92,277 Year 3: $91,122 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $68,009 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $68,295 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,068 Year 2: $47,846 Year 3: $59,658 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,088 Year 2: $57,210 Year 3: $56,352 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,604 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $44,807 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,623 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $42,849 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,717 Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: $36,572 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $35,347 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,866 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,305 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $77,743 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,838 Year 2: $62,792 Year 3: $73,001 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,460 Year 2: $62,775 Year 3: $69,764 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,302 Year 2: $50,356 Year 3: $56,336 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: $46,139 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,272 Year 2: $31,314 Year 3: $39,988 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $18,075 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $30,321 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: N/A Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $27,439 Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,674 Year 3: N/A

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