Washburn U vs Western Illinois University (WIU)

Washburn University and Western Illinois University, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Washburn, located in Topeka, Kansas, boasts a higher acceptance rate (84%) compared to Western Illinois University's 79% in Macomb, Illinois. While Washburn's student body is more diverse, with 30% of students identifying as minorities, Western Illinois University has a slightly higher graduation rate (58% vs. 56%). Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more differences, including popular majors, costs, and campus life, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Washburn University	Western Illinois University
Overview
Location	Topeka, Kansas	Macomb, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Midsize	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	66.0%	72.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	72.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $40	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		7,156
Total number of admissions given out		5,187
Admitted students who chose to enroll		920
Yield rate		17.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)		N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Not required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,895 Out of state: $34,899	$29,140
Average net price	$14,617	$11,666
Tuition	In state: $8,762 Out of state: $19,766	$9,238
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,625 Meal plan: $4,090	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)	94.0% Average amount $6,254	94.0% Average amount $13,937
Students receiving federal student loan	44.0% Average amount $5,166	50.0% Average amount $5,417
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $10,179	5.0% Average amount $9,533

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,828 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%	5,394 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%
Graduate students	829 Men 33.4% Women 66.6%	2,061 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	3.0%	9.7%
International students	3.0%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,004	3,083
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Kansas Georgia Iowa Florida Arizona	Illinois Iowa Missouri Wisconsin Indiana

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Legal Profession Liberal Arts Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting	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	51.4%	50.9%
Dropout rate	24.7%	16.5%
Transferred out	20.7%	31.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,212 Year 2: $99,069 Year 3: $105,785 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $50,713 Year 2: $56,776 Year 3: $59,264 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $48,996 Year 2: $52,542 Year 3: $57,844 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,332 Year 2: $54,812 Year 3: $57,071 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,896 Year 2: $44,595 Year 3: $54,443 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $46,833 Year 2: $50,270 Year 3: $53,824 Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $43,016 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $53,722 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,602 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $53,311 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,645 Year 2: $46,790 Year 3: $50,604 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,551 Year 2: $45,128 Year 3: $50,230	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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