Quad

Head-to-head

Youngstown State
Illinois State

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Illinois State grads earn $20.6K more ten years out than Youngstown State's ($62,117 vs. $41,544)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    Illinois State graduates 20 pts more of its students than Youngstown State (72% vs. 52%)

    Graduation rate
  3. 3

    Illinois State has 2.4× as many undergrads as Youngstown State

    Undergrads
  4. 4

    Youngstown State has 9 pts more first-gen students than Illinois State (38% vs. 30%)

    First-generation students
  5. 5

    Illinois State's grants cover 36% of its full price on average, vs. 29% at Youngstown State

    Aid generosity
  6. 6

    Youngstown State's yield is 7 pts higher than Illinois State's

    Yield 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

Who's hardest to get into

Youngstown State admits 84%, Illinois State 88%; Youngstown State's yield is higher, at 29%.

Acceptance rate
Youngstown State84%
Illinois State88%
Quad's selectivity
  • Youngstown StateAccessible
  • Illinois StateAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 900–1600
Youngstown State
1010–1230
Illinois State
990–1210
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Youngstown StateGPA and school record required
  • Illinois StateGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Illinois State has 2.4× as many undergrads as Youngstown State; Youngstown State has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Youngstown State8K
Illinois State19.1K
Pell Grant share
Youngstown State34%
Illinois State32%

Majors and faculty

Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse leads at Youngstown State, and Elementary Education and Teaching at Illinois State.

Students per faculty member
Youngstown State20 to 1
Illinois State19 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Youngstown StateRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse11%
  • Illinois StateElementary Education and Teaching6%

What each costs

Youngstown State costs about $3.1K less a year than Illinois State on average; Illinois State's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Youngstown State$18.8K
Illinois State$22K
Aid generosity
Youngstown State29%
Illinois State36%

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
Youngstown State$41.5K
Illinois State$62.1K
Graduation rate
Youngstown State52%
Illinois State72%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; Illinois State got less selective while Youngstown State held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Youngstown StateGrowing+95%
  • Illinois StateGrowing+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 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