Quad

Head-to-head

Western Illinois
Eastern Illinois

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Eastern Illinois's grants cover 44% of its full price on average, vs. 28% at Western Illinois

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    Eastern Illinois costs about $5.5K less per year on average than Western Illinois ($15,379 vs. $20,870, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    Western Illinois has 3 pts more first-gen students than Eastern Illinois (38% vs. 34%)

    First-generation students
  4. 4

    Western Illinois grads earn $2.2K more ten years out than Eastern Illinois's ($54,163 vs. $51,989)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    Eastern Illinois has 1 pts more Pell recipients than Western Illinois (29% vs. 28%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    Eastern Illinois admits 65% vs. 71% at Western Illinois

    Acceptance rate

The shape of each school

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

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

Eastern Illinois admits 65%, Western Illinois 71%; both have the same yield, 10%.

Acceptance rate
Western Illinois71%
Eastern Illinois65%
Quad's selectivity
  • Western IllinoisAccessible
  • Eastern IllinoisAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 800–1600
Western IllinoisTest-blind
Eastern Illinois
880–1090
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Western IllinoisGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • Eastern IllinoisRigor, GPA, and tests very important13%

Who's on each campus

Western Illinois and Eastern Illinois are about the same size; Eastern Illinois has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Western Illinois4.4K
Eastern Illinois4.2K
Pell Grant share
Western Illinois28%
Eastern Illinois29%

Majors and faculty

Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration leads at Western Illinois, and Psychology at Eastern Illinois.

Students per faculty member
Western Illinois12 to 1
Eastern Illinois14 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Western IllinoisCriminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration14%
  • Eastern IllinoisPsychology, General9%

What each costs

Eastern Illinois costs about $5.5K less a year than Western Illinois on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Western Illinois$20.9K
Eastern Illinois$15.4K
Aid generosity
Western Illinois28%
Eastern Illinois44%

What each pays off

Western Illinois's former students earn more, a median $54.2K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 50% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Western Illinois$54.2K
Eastern Illinois$52K
Graduation rate
Western Illinois57%
Eastern Illinois57%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Eastern Illinois but fell at Western Illinois; Eastern Illinois got less selective while Western Illinois held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Western IllinoisShrinking−19%
  • Eastern IllinoisGrowing+41%
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 2018;Eastern Illinois University Common Data Set 2017–18, Fall 2017About 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