Concordia Chicago vs Western Illinois University (WIU)

Concordia University-Chicago and Western 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 Western Illinois, a public university with a larger student population and a more selective admissions process. While Concordia excels in nursing and education programs, Western Illinois shines in business and agriculture. Concordia's student body is predominantly female, while Western Illinois has a more balanced gender ratio. Both universities offer a vibrant campus life, but Concordia's religious affiliation may appeal to 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 table to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Concordia University-Chicago	Western Illinois University
Overview
Location	River Forest, Illinois	Macomb, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Remote
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%	72.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.8%	72.5%
Application fees	$50	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	5,620	7,156
Total number of admissions given out	4,935	5,187
Admitted students who chose to enroll	336	920
Yield rate	6.8%	17.7%
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	$29,140
Average net price	$18,817	$11,666
Tuition	$33,310	$9,238
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,550 Meal plan: $3,880	Room/dormitory: $6,240 Meal plan: $3,952
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $23,508	94.0% Average amount $13,937
Students receiving federal student loan	64.0% Average amount $4,744	50.0% Average amount $5,417
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $11,395	5.0% Average amount $9,533

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,438 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%	5,394 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%
Graduate students	4,648 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%	2,061 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	38.4%	9.7%
International students	2.7%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	726	3,083
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 Iowa Missouri Wisconsin Indiana

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	42.8%	50.9%
Dropout rate	14.0%	16.5%
Transferred out	43.2%	31.2%
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: $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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