Western Michigan University (WMU) vs Illinois State

Western Michigan University and Illinois State University, both esteemed public institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Michigan, nestled in Kalamazoo, boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a more diverse student body. Its strengths lie in engineering, business, and health professions, while Illinois State, located in Normal, excels in education, nursing, and psychology. With a slightly higher graduation rate, Illinois State may hold an edge in ensuring student success. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities' unique offerings and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Illinois State University	Western Michigan University
Overview
Location	Normal, Illinois	Kalamazoo, Michigan
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Small
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	83.0%	77.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.5%	82.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1000 - 1200	1000 - 1220
ACT range	21 - 27	21 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	51.0%	37.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	7.0%
Total number of applicants	11,913	18,853
Total number of admissions given out	10,905	15,612
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,374	2,112
Yield rate	30.9%	13.5%
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: $31,811 Out of state: $43,335	In state: $27,947 Out of state: $31,281
Average net price	$21,033	$19,749
Tuition	In state: $11,524 Out of state: $23,048	In state: $13,334 Out of state: $16,668
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,494 Meal plan: $4,652	$10,884
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $10,848	95.0% Average amount $6,352
Students receiving federal student loan	46.0% Average amount $5,065	49.0% Average amount $5,188
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $14,532	10.0% Average amount $15,132

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	17,674 Men 43.0% Women 57.0%	14,587 Men 50.1% Women 49.9%
Graduate students	2,559 Men 35.1% Women 64.9%	3,679 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	4.2%	23.8%
International students	2.8%	7.3%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	5,560	5,130
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Missouri Wisconsin Michigan Iowa	Michigan Illinois Indiana Wisconsin Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Education Engineering Business Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.3%	56.3%
Dropout rate	32.0%	14.6%
Transferred out	N/A	25.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,556 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $102,485 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,002 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $78,276 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,303 Year 2: $72,884 Year 3: $77,896 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,576 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $73,936 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,516 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $73,592 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,000 Year 2: $64,791 Year 3: $70,358 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,829 Year 2: $65,194 Year 3: $65,533 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,294 Year 2: $54,996 Year 3: $64,567 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,313 Year 2: $52,781 Year 3: $64,241 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,480 Year 2: $54,470 Year 3: $63,207	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $102,212 Year 2: $103,274 Year 3: $105,179 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,392 Year 2: $73,801 Year 3: $88,332 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $87,977 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,143 Year 2: $65,945 Year 3: $79,982 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,346 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $77,922 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,069 Year 2: $73,562 Year 3: $77,263 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,557 Year 2: $70,776 Year 3: $75,447 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,559 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $73,968 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,118 Year 2: $63,749 Year 3: $72,465 Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,803 Year 2: $59,576 Year 3: $69,288

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