Western Illinois University (WIU) vs Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU)

Western Illinois University (WIU) and Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) are two distinct public universities in Illinois, each offering unique educational experiences. WIU, located in Macomb, boasts a higher acceptance rate (86%) compared to NEIU's 78%, making it a more accessible option for prospective students. NEIU, situated in Chicago, attracts a more diverse student body, with a higher percentage of Hispanic and Black students. While WIU excels in programs like Agriculture, Business, and Education, NEIU shines in fields such as Criminal Justice, Psychology, and Social Work. Both universities offer competitive graduation rates, with WIU at 56% and NEIU at 53%. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Northeastern Illinois University	Western Illinois University
Overview
Location	Chicago, Illinois	Macomb, Illinois
Campus setting	City: 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	61.0%	72.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	62.1%	72.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	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	3,399	7,156
Total number of admissions given out	2,111	5,187
Admitted students who chose to enroll	330	920
Yield rate	15.6%	17.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not 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: $24,985 Out of state: $35,076	$29,140
Average net price	$14,133	$11,666
Tuition	In state: $10,091 Out of state: $20,182	$9,238
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $6,240 Meal plan: $3,952
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	78.0% Average amount $10,529	94.0% Average amount $13,937
Students receiving federal student loan	15.0% Average amount $6,215	50.0% Average amount $5,417
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $5,866	5.0% Average amount $9,533

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,608 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%	5,394 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%
Graduate students	1,832 Men 32.0% Women 68.0%	2,061 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	2.4%	9.7%
International students	2.1%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	426	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 Wisconsin California Georgia	Illinois Iowa Missouri Wisconsin Indiana

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Computer and Information Science Liberal Arts	Education Business Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	21.4%	50.9%
Dropout rate	75.4%	16.5%
Transferred out	N/A	31.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,937 Year 2: $77,401 Year 3: $85,599 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,326 Year 2: $56,544 Year 3: $67,702 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,232 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $62,229 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,083 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $57,180 Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,637 Year 2: $45,383 Year 3: $55,124 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,581 Year 2: $46,407 Year 3: $51,995 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,263 Year 2: $43,240 Year 3: $49,244 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,577 Year 2: $45,500 Year 3: $47,512 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,527 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $45,767 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,519 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $45,740	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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