Western Illinois University (WIU) vs UW Oshkosh

Western Illinois University (WIU) and University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (UWO) are two public universities located in the Midwestern United States, each offering a unique educational experience. WIU, situated in Macomb, Illinois, boasts a smaller student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to UWO, which is located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. While both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, WIU is known for its strong programs in education, business, and nursing, while UWO excels in engineering, nursing, and business. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences between these two institutions, including student demographics, graduation rates, and additional program offerings, to determine which university best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh	Western Illinois University
Overview
Location	Oshkosh, Wisconsin	Macomb, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Small	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	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	89.9%	72.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $56	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	18 - 23	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score	59.0%
Total number of applicants	8,524	7,156
Total number of admissions given out	7,662	5,187
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,786	920
Yield rate	23.3%	17.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $21,191 Out of state: $28,764	$29,140
Average net price	$12,975	$11,666
Tuition	In state: $6,422 Out of state: $13,995	$9,238
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,662 Meal plan: $3,330	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)	60.0% Average amount $4,031	94.0% Average amount $13,937
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $4,878	50.0% Average amount $5,417
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $9,406	5.0% Average amount $9,533

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	12,946 Men 40.5% Women 59.5%	5,394 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%
Graduate students	1,196 Men 29.3% Women 70.7%	2,061 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	9.3%	9.7%
International students	1.0%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	2,473	3,083
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Wisconsin Illinois Minnesota Michigan California	Illinois Iowa Missouri Wisconsin Indiana

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Education Public Administration and Social Service Business	Education Business Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	55.2%	50.9%
Dropout rate	42.5%	16.5%
Transferred out	N/A	31.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,794 Year 2: $80,292 Year 3: $96,140 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,284 Year 2: $59,556 Year 3: $62,330 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,689 Year 2: $53,984 Year 3: $57,623 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,271 Year 2: $50,231 Year 3: $56,966 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,969 Year 2: $54,531 Year 3: $56,450 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,757 Year 2: $47,595 Year 3: $56,169 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,949 Year 2: $49,158 Year 3: $54,566 General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,122 Year 2: $41,342 Year 3: $52,184 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,105 Year 3: $51,437 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,921 Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: $48,623	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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