Western Illinois University (WIU) vs Sam Houston State University (SHSU)

Western Illinois University (WIU) and Sam Houston State University (SHSU) stand as two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to their students. WIU, nestled in the heart of Macomb, Illinois, boasts a rich history dating back to 1899, while SHSU, located in Huntsville, Texas, has been shaping minds since 1879. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Sam Houston State University	Western Illinois University
Overview
Location	Huntsville, Texas	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	73.0%	72.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	96.6%	72.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30
SAT range	950 - 1120	N/A
ACT range	18 - 23	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	57.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%
Total number of applicants	11,556	7,156
Total number of admissions given out	11,161	5,187
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,908	920
Yield rate	26.1%	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: $24,612 Out of state: $34,404	$29,140
Average net price	$14,287	$11,666
Tuition	In state: $5,856 Out of state: $15,648	$9,238
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,918 Meal plan: $4,650	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)	70.0% Average amount $9,492	94.0% Average amount $13,937
Students receiving federal student loan	52.0% Average amount $5,618	50.0% Average amount $5,417
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $14,496	5.0% Average amount $9,533

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,288 Men 36.2% Women 63.8%	5,394 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%
Graduate students	3,324 Men 31.7% Women 68.3%	2,061 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	1.4%	9.7%
International students	1.3%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	3,398	3,083
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Texas Florida California Arkansas Illinois	Illinois Iowa Missouri Wisconsin Indiana

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Health Professions Agriculture Communication and Journalism	Education Business Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	20:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	57.3%	50.9%
Dropout rate	16.2%	16.5%
Transferred out	23.6%	31.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,554 Year 2: $68,858 Year 3: $76,776 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $68,691 Year 2: $74,953 Year 3: $76,058 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,097 Year 2: $69,740 Year 3: $73,214 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,694 Year 2: $66,049 Year 3: $72,403 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,377 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $67,947 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,438 Year 2: $60,128 Year 3: $67,313 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,381 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $65,080 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,710 Year 2: $68,666 Year 3: $62,801 Agricultural Mechanization (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,352 Year 2: $49,436 Year 3: $59,631 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,213 Year 2: $56,579 Year 3: $57,976	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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