Concordia Chicago vs Eastern Illinois University (EIU)

Concordia University-Chicago and Eastern Illinois University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Concordia, a private Lutheran university, boasts a smaller student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to Eastern, a public university. While Concordia excels in nursing and business programs, Eastern shines in education and psychology. Concordia's student body is predominantly female, while Eastern's is more evenly balanced. Both universities offer a vibrant campus life, but Concordia's religious affiliation may resonate more strongly with students seeking a faith-based education. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two universities. Explore the data and discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Concordia University-Chicago	Eastern Illinois University
Overview
Location	River Forest, Illinois	Charleston, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	57.0%	74.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.8%	71.7%
Application fees	$50	$30
SAT range	N/A	900 - 1140
ACT range	N/A	17 - 23
Students submitting SAT score		56.0%
Students submitting ACT score		66.0%
Total number of applicants	5,620	7,145
Total number of admissions given out	4,935	5,126
Admitted students who chose to enroll	336	778
Yield rate	6.8%	15.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$44,860	In state: $25,316 Out of state: $27,684
Average net price	$18,817	$13,669
Tuition	$33,310	In state: $9,472 Out of state: $11,840
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,550 Meal plan: $3,880	$10,548
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $23,508	99.0% Average amount $10,756
Students receiving federal student loan	64.0% Average amount $4,744	62.0% Average amount $5,140
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $11,395	7.0% Average amount $10,570

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,438 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%	6,903 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	4,648 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%	1,705 Men 37.5% Women 62.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	38.4%	9.6%
International students	2.7%	4.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	726	4,304
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Missouri Indiana Michigan Florida	Illinois Indiana Ohio Missouri Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business Health Professions Psychology	Education Business Engineering Technologies Health Professions Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	42.8%	50.7%
Dropout rate	14.0%	15.9%
Transferred out	43.2%	32.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $111,823 Year 2: $114,892 Year 3: $115,033 Educational Administration and Supervision (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $86,536 Year 2: $99,683 Year 3: $105,927 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,837 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $69,591 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,893 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $69,201 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,510 Year 2: $63,855 Year 3: $67,477 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,778 Year 2: $57,657 Year 3: $64,254 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,253 Year 2: $58,057 Year 3: $60,306 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,265 Year 2: $57,937 Year 3: $59,496 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,650 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $59,101 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,219 Year 2: $59,576 Year 3: $57,980	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,607 Year 2: $54,386 Year 3: $65,635 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,284 Year 2: $59,350 Year 3: $64,761 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,936 Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $64,356 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,964 Year 2: $50,677 Year 3: $61,384 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,053 Year 2: $46,673 Year 3: $59,023 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,088 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $57,084 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,985 Year 2: $53,894 Year 3: $56,317 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $49,482 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,479 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $47,585 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,850 Year 2: $40,768 Year 3: $47,302

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