Western Illinois University (WIU) vs Eastern Michigan University

Western Illinois University (WIU) and Eastern Michigan University (EMU) are two public universities located in the Midwestern United States, each offering a unique educational experience. WIU, situated in Macomb, Illinois, is known for its strong programs in education, nursing, and agriculture, while EMU, located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, excels in business, engineering, and technology. With acceptance rates of 86% and 79% respectively, both universities welcome a diverse student body, with EMU boasting a slightly larger population. While WIU has a higher graduation rate of 54%, EMU offers a wider range of undergraduate and graduate programs. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover more about the differences between these two institutions, including tuition costs, financial aid opportunities, and student life, to help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Eastern Michigan University	Western Illinois University
Overview
Location	Ypsilanti, Michigan	Macomb, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	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	69.0%	72.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	84.6%	72.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30
SAT range	930 - 1180	N/A
ACT range	18 - 25	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	55.0%
Students submitting ACT score	8.0%
Total number of applicants	17,506	7,156
Total number of admissions given out	14,811	5,187
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,312	920
Yield rate	15.6%	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	$31,022	$29,140
Average net price	$16,311	$11,666
Tuition	$13,950	$9,238
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,450 Meal plan: $5,724	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)	95.0% Average amount $9,182	94.0% Average amount $13,937
Students receiving federal student loan	48.0% Average amount $5,579	50.0% Average amount $5,417
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $12,079	5.0% Average amount $9,533

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	12,730 Men 38.9% Women 61.1%	5,394 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%
Graduate students	2,610 Men 31.9% Women 68.1%	2,061 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	14.2%	9.7%
International students	2.7%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	3,290	3,083
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Michigan Ohio Illinois Indiana Florida	Illinois Iowa Missouri Wisconsin Indiana

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Social Sciences	Education Business Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	48.2%	50.9%
Dropout rate	48.4%	16.5%
Transferred out	N/A	31.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,034 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $78,068 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,313 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $74,479 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,154 Year 2: $73,949 Year 3: $70,947 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,705 Year 2: $59,425 Year 3: $68,573 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $61,218 Year 3: $67,436 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,660 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $65,596 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,000 Year 2: $62,409 Year 3: $64,700 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,397 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $63,891 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,555 Year 2: $54,192 Year 3: $63,676 Science, Technology and Society (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,309 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $62,126	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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