Quad

Head-to-head

Purdue University Northwest
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. 26% at Purdue University Northwest

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    Eastern Illinois graduates 9 pts more of its students than Purdue University Northwest (57% vs. 48%)

    Graduation rate
  3. 3

    Purdue University Northwest has 9 pts more first-gen students than Eastern Illinois (43% vs. 34%)

    First-generation students
  4. 4

    Purdue University Northwest's yield is 8 pts higher than Eastern Illinois's

    Yield rate
  5. 5

    Purdue University Northwest is more diverse (index 0.68 vs. 0.62)

    Diversity index
  6. 6

    Purdue University Northwest is a bit larger (5,671 vs. 4,188)

    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

Eastern Illinois admits 65%, Purdue University Northwest 72%; Purdue University Northwest's yield is higher, at 18%.

Acceptance rate
Purdue University Northwest72%
Eastern Illinois65%
Quad's selectivity
  • Purdue University NorthwestAccessible
  • Eastern IllinoisAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 800–1600
Purdue University Northwest
890–1140
Eastern Illinois
880–1090
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Purdue University NorthwestGPA and school record required
  • Eastern IllinoisRigor, GPA, and tests very important13%

Who's on each campus

Purdue University Northwest is a bit larger than Eastern Illinois (5,671 vs. 4,188 undergrads); Eastern Illinois has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Purdue University Northwest5.7K
Eastern Illinois4.2K
Pell Grant share
Purdue University Northwest28%
Eastern Illinois29%

Majors and faculty

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing leads at Purdue University Northwest, and Psychology at Eastern Illinois.

Students per faculty member
Purdue University Northwest17 to 1
Eastern Illinois14 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Purdue University NorthwestRegistered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Other18%
  • Eastern IllinoisPsychology, General9%

What each costs

Eastern Illinois costs about $2.2K less a year than Purdue University Northwest on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Purdue University Northwest$17.6K
Eastern Illinois$15.4K
Aid generosity
Purdue University Northwest26%
Eastern Illinois44%

What each pays off

Eastern Illinois's former students earn more, a median $52K ten years after enrolling.

Median earnings, 10 years
Purdue University Northwest$48.3K
Eastern Illinois$52K
Graduation rate
Purdue University Northwest48%
Eastern Illinois57%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Eastern Illinois, which got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Purdue University NorthwestNot reported
  • 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