More selective than 60% of Illinois colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $28,254. College Scorecard.
Higher than 21% of Illinois colleges we cover and 33% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 34% of Illinois colleges we cover and 53% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Western Illinois University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 8,479 applicants, Western Illinois University admitted 6,356 and 968 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Western Illinois University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Illinois residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Western Illinois University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Western Illinois University took 4.4 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Illinois. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $6,941 | $30,402 | 1.7 years |
| $30–48k | $8,787 | $38,487 | 2.1 years |
| $48–75k | $12,062 | $52,832 | 2.9 years |
| $75–110k | $16,294 | $71,368 | 3.9 years |
| $110k+ | $19,701 | $86,290 | 4.7 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.4 years, the average time graduates took (31% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($54,163) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $18,366 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Western Illinois University majors, earnings & careers
Western Illinois University offers 72 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 12
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 11
- Health & Medicine · 9
- Humanities & Languages · 9
- Science & Math · 7
- Education · 6
- Engineering · 6
- Communications & Media · 5
- Arts & Design · 4
- Technology & Computing · 3
Highest-earning majors at Western Illinois University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $92,824 | $25,250 |
| Nursing | $86,694 | $23,750 |
| Construction Management | $85,974 | $26,000 |
| Engineering Technologies / Technicians | $75,922 | $32,373 |
| Accounting | $71,059 | $30,023 |
| Human Resources | $70,157 | $26,000 |
| Business Administration | $70,021 | $27,000 |
| Finance | $69,716 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 72 majors
- Accounting$71,059
- Agriculture$58,333
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$49,431
- Anthropology—
- Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology—
- Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education—
- Biology$50,855
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$46,966
- Business Administration$70,021
- Business Economics—
- Chemistry$68,249
- Civil Engineering—
- Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other—
- Communications$51,203
- Computer and Information Sciences$92,824
- Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications—
- Construction Management$85,974
- Criminal Justice$63,125
- Dietetics$54,394
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$43,279
- Education (Subject Teaching)$51,255
- Educational / Instructional Media Design—
- Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research—
- Electrical Engineering—
- Engineering—
- Engineering Technologies / Technicians$75,922
- English$41,984
- Entrepreneurship—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences$54,059
- Finance$69,716
- Fire Protection$68,753
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services—
- Geography—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- Graphic Communications$50,751
- Health Administration$56,771
- History$47,084
- Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other$48,039
- Hospitality Management—
- Human Resources$70,157
- Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians—
- Information Technology—
- Interdisciplinary Studies—
- Journalism—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$53,576
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$55,944
- Linguistics$53,453
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Marketing$68,306
- Mathematics—
- Mechanical Engineering—
- Medical Laboratory Science—
- Music$39,609
- Nursing$86,694
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management$46,363
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$50,963
- Psychology$44,683
- Public Health—
- Religious Studies—
- Social Work$54,063
- Sociology$50,080
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education$45,395
- Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders—
- Studio Art$35,703
- Theatre—
- Visual and Performing Arts, Other—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Criminal Justice → Police officer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Macomb
2 bedrooms $930.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 39 inches of rain a year, 11 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, McDonough County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
McDonough County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Western Illinois University with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Illinois by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Illinois University | 71% | $12,937 | 45% | $54,163 | This school |
| Eastern Illinois University | 65% | $12,786 | 47% | $51,989 | |
| Northeastern Illinois University | 75% | $14,109 | 22% | $52,234 | |
| University of Illinois Springfield | 86% | $9,833 | 53% | $57,103 | |
| Northern Illinois University | 70% | $13,391 | 49% | $57,808 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Western Illinois University would cost you $151 more per year than Eastern Illinois University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Western Illinois University, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$1,585).
- Western Illinois University gives aided families $1,107 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Illinois resident | Western Illinois University | EIU | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $15,264 | $13,679 | +$1,585 |
| Books & supplies | $1,200 | $150 | +$1,050 |
| Housing & meals | $10,920 | $11,298 | −$378 |
| Personal & travel | $1,776 | $2,768 | −$992 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$906 | −$899 | −$7 |
| Sticker price | $28,254 | $26,996 | +$1,258 |
| Average grants | −$15,317 | −$14,210 | −$1,107 |
| You pay | $12,937 | $12,786 | +$151 |
“+” means Western Illinois University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Western Illinois University
What is the Western Illinois University acceptance rate?
Western Illinois University accepts 71% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 6,356 of 8,479 applicants were admitted.
How much does Western Illinois University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $28,254 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $12,937 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $6,941 and families earning $110k+ pay $19,701.
How much do Western Illinois University graduates earn?
Former Western Illinois University students earn a median $54,163 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Western Illinois University graduation rate?
45% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 61% return for their second year.
How long does a Western Illinois University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Western Illinois University costs about $52,832 after grants ($12,062 a year for 4.4 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $54,163 ten years after starting, $18,366 more than high school graduates in Illinois ($35,797), so the cost is repaid in 2.9 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
Is Western Illinois University the right fit for your family?
Get a free report comparing Western Illinois University with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.
Build my free reportCheck my chances of getting inWe never share your contact information.
Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Western Illinois University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/western-illinois-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).