Western Michigan University (WMU) vs Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (SIU)

Western Michigan University (WMU) and Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (SIU-C) are two public universities with distinct characteristics. WMU, located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has a higher acceptance rate (80%) compared to SIU-C's 75%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors including Business, Engineering, and Health Sciences at WMU, and Business, Education, and Engineering at SIU-C. WMU boasts a larger student body, with over 23,000 undergraduates, while SIU-C has a more compact undergraduate population of around 12,000. In terms of graduation rates, WMU's four-year graduation rate stands at 38%, while SIU-C's is slightly lower at 32%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more, allowing you to
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale logo

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Western Michigan University logo

Western Michigan University

Overview

Location Carbondale, Illinois Kalamazoo, Michigan
Campus setting City: Small 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 75.0% 77.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 95.1% 82.8%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $40

Graduate: $65
Undergraduate: $40

Graduate: $50
SAT range 930 - 1160 1000 - 1220
ACT range 20 - 28 21 - 27
Students submitting SAT score 43.0% 37.0%
Students submitting ACT score 18.0% 7.0%
Total number of applicants 6,987 18,853
Total number of admissions given out 6,648 15,612
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,422 2,112
Yield rate 21.4% 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) Not required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $29,903
In state: $27,947

Out of state: $31,281
Average net price $15,976 $19,749
Tuition $9,638
In state: $13,334

Out of state: $16,668
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $6,292

Meal plan: $4,330
$10,884
Available payment plans
  • Guaranteed tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Other alternative tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

91.0%
Average amount $13,301
95.0%
Average amount $6,352
Students receiving federal student loan 55.0%
Average amount $5,362
49.0%
Average amount $5,188
Students taking out private loans 8.0%
Average amount $12,619
10.0%
Average amount $15,132

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 8,147
Men 51.4% Women 48.6%
14,587
Men 50.1% Women 49.9%
Graduate students 3,119
Men 46.3% Women 53.7%
3,679
Men 37.4% Women 62.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Low
Out-of-state students 17.5% 23.8%
International students 7.7% 7.3%
Campus local/setting City: Small City: Small
Dormitory capacity 4,492 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 Indiana Tennessee Wisconsin Michigan Illinois Indiana Wisconsin Ohio

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Engineering Technologies
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Transportation and Logistics
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Business
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio 10:1 16:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 45.3% 56.3%
Dropout rate 53.2% 14.6%
Transferred out N/A 25.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $101,053
  • Year 2: $104,597
  • Year 3: $108,594
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $65,138
  • Year 2: $65,905
  • Year 3: $75,851
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,097
  • Year 2: $64,068
  • Year 3: $70,959
Medicine (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $55,319
  • Year 2: $57,318
  • Year 3: $66,942
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $54,274
  • Year 2: $58,673
  • Year 3: $66,280
Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,465
  • Year 2: $58,221
  • Year 3: $62,788
Architecture (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $52,426
  • Year 2: $53,219
  • Year 3: $62,608
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $57,372
  • Year 2: $55,211
  • Year 3: $62,306
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $52,213
  • Year 2: $55,061
  • Year 3: $62,169
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $49,024
  • Year 2: $49,840
  • Year 3: $62,089
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

Compare Similar Colleges

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