Illinois College vs Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU)

When it comes to higher education in Illinois, Illinois College and Illinois Wesleyan University stand out as two excellent options for prospective students. While both institutions offer a rigorous academic experience and a vibrant campus life, there are some key differences between them. Illinois College, located in Jacksonville, is a private liberal arts college with an acceptance rate of 75%, while Illinois Wesleyan University, situated in Bloomington, is a private liberal arts and sciences university with an acceptance rate of 68%. Illinois College has a smaller student body, with an undergraduate enrollment of around 1,000 students, while Illinois Wesleyan University has a larger student body, with an undergraduate enrollment of over 2,000 students. Both institutions offer a wide range of academic programs, with popular majors including business, education, and psychology. To help you make an informed decision about which institution is the best fit for you, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into the details of each university, including acceptance rates,

	Illinois College	Illinois Wesleyan University
Overview
Location	Jacksonville, Illinois	Bloomington, Illinois
Campus setting	Town: Distant	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	76.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	74.8%	45.2%
Application fees
SAT range	950 - 1150	1110 - 1310
ACT range	18 - 24	24 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	57.0%	33.0%
Students submitting ACT score	32.0%	31.0%
Total number of applicants	3,522	4,543
Total number of admissions given out	2,633	2,055
Admitted students who chose to enroll	249	432
Yield rate	9.5%	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	$42,742	$67,124
Average net price	$18,914	$30,610
Tuition	$34,752	$52,308
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,988 Meal plan: $4,946	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 $26,845	100.0% Average amount $34,810
Students receiving federal student loan	74.0% Average amount $5,294	68.0% Average amount $5,692
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $10,848	35.0% Average amount $6,781

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,097 Men 47.6% Women 52.4%	1,653 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	20.2%	N/A
International students	4.2%	3.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	963	1,308
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Missouri Georgia Alabama Indiana	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Health Professions Social Sciences English Language and Literature	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Education Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	64.0%	81.1%
Dropout rate	36.0%	18.7%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,712 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $47,790 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $44,043 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,048 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $39,233 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,429 Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: $35,396 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,386 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,515 Year 2: $30,047 Year 3: N/A Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,718 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,420 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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