Western Illinois University (WIU) vs Eastern Kentucky University (EKU)

Western Illinois University (WIU) and Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) are two public universities located in the Midwestern and Southern regions of the United States, respectively. Both institutions offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, but there are some key differences between the two. WIU has a higher acceptance rate (84%) compared to EKU (78%), and its student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate enrollment of over 8,000 students compared to EKU's 7,000. In terms of popular majors, WIU is known for its strong programs in education, business, and nursing, while EKU excels in fields such as health sciences, education, and engineering. Additionally, WIU has a slightly higher graduation rate (58%) than EKU (56%). To help you make an informed decision about which university is the right fit for you, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these differences in greater

	Eastern Kentucky University	Western Illinois University
Overview
Location	Richmond, Kentucky	Macomb, Illinois
Campus setting	Town: Distant	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	74.0%	72.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	98.3%	72.5%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30
SAT range	950 - 1180	N/A
ACT range	18 - 24	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	4.0%
Students submitting ACT score	88.0%
Total number of applicants	7,251	7,156
Total number of admissions given out	7,131	5,187
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,493	920
Yield rate	35.0%	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	In state: $23,762 Out of state: $34,034	$29,140
Average net price	$14,271	$11,666
Tuition	In state: $9,452 Out of state: $19,724	$9,238
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,416 Meal plan: $3,994	Room/dormitory: $6,240 Meal plan: $3,952
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $9,891	94.0% Average amount $13,937
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $4,950	50.0% Average amount $5,417
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $10,455	5.0% Average amount $9,533

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,684 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%	5,394 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%
Graduate students	2,300 Men 30.0% Women 70.0%	2,061 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	9.7%
International students	1.1%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	4,479	3,083
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Ohio Illinois Indiana West Virginia	Illinois Iowa Missouri Wisconsin Indiana

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Liberal Arts Engineering Technologies	Education Business Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	47.8%	50.9%
Dropout rate	48.5%	16.5%
Transferred out	1.6%	31.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $110,878 Year 3: $113,532 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,123 Year 2: $90,291 Year 3: $95,519 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,935 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $78,046 Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,209 Year 2: $74,105 Year 3: $74,692 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,585 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,030 Educational Administration and Supervision (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $54,959 Year 2: $60,523 Year 3: $62,961 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,605 Year 2: $49,019 Year 3: $62,600 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,959 Year 2: $60,523 Year 3: $61,708 Fire Protection (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,702 Year 2: $49,787 Year 3: $58,036 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,745 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,935	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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