Quad

Head-to-head

Illinois State
Tarleton State

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Tarleton State has 12 pts more first-gen students than Illinois State (42% vs. 30%)

    First-generation students
  2. 2

    Illinois State graduates 12 pts more of its students than Tarleton State (72% vs. 59%)

    Graduation rate
  3. 3

    Illinois State grads earn $9.1K more ten years out than Tarleton State's ($62,117 vs. $53,040)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    Tarleton State costs about $5K less per year on average than Illinois State ($16,983 vs. $21,974, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  5. 5

    Illinois State's grants cover 36% of its full price on average, vs. 30% at Tarleton State

    Aid generosity
  6. 6

    Illinois State has 1.5× as many undergrads as Tarleton State

    Undergrads

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Illinois State admits 88%, Tarleton State 90%; Tarleton State's yield is higher, at 24%.

Acceptance rate
Illinois State88%
Tarleton State90%
Quad's selectivity
  • Illinois StateAccessible
  • Tarleton StateOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 900–1600
Illinois State
990–1210
Tarleton State
980–1160
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Illinois StateGPA and school record required
  • Tarleton StateGPA, school record, rank, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Illinois State has 1.5× as many undergrads as Tarleton State; Tarleton State has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Illinois State19.1K
Tarleton State12.7K
Pell Grant share
Illinois State32%
Tarleton State34%

Majors and faculty

Elementary Education and Teaching leads at Illinois State, and Exercise Science and Kinesiology at Tarleton State.

Students per faculty member
Illinois State19 to 1
Tarleton State20 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Illinois StateElementary Education and Teaching6%
  • Tarleton StateExercise Science and Kinesiology8%

What each costs

Tarleton State costs about $5K less a year than Illinois State on average; Illinois State's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Illinois State$22K
Tarleton State$17K
Aid generosity
Illinois State36%
Tarleton State30%

What each pays off

Illinois State's former students earn more, a median $62.1K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 50% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Illinois State$62.1K
Tarleton State$53K
Graduation rate
Illinois State72%
Tarleton State59%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Illinois StateGrowing+41%
  • Tarleton StateGrowing+43%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why