Eastern Illinois University (EIU) vs University of Central Arkansas (UCA)

Eastern Illinois University (EIU) and University of Central Arkansas (UCA) are two public universities with distinct characteristics. EIU, located in Charleston, Illinois, has an acceptance rate of 86%, while UCA, situated in Conway, Arkansas, boasts a slightly higher acceptance rate of 90%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with popular majors including Business, Education, and Nursing. EIU's student body is predominantly White (68%) and female (56%), while UCA's student population is more diverse, with a larger proportion of African American (20%) and Hispanic (12%) students. In terms of graduation rates, UCA has a slightly higher four-year graduation rate (33%) compared to EIU's 29%. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more. Explore the table to discover which
Eastern Illinois University logo

Eastern Illinois University

University of Central Arkansas logo

University of Central Arkansas

Overview

Location Charleston, Illinois Conway, Arkansas
Campus setting Town: Distant City: Small
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Public
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 74.0% 71.0%
Common app member Yes No
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 71.7% 92.4%
Application fees $30
Undergraduate: $25

Graduate: $45
SAT range 900 - 1140 980 - 1160
ACT range 17 - 23 19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score 56.0% 3.0%
Students submitting ACT score 66.0% 94.0%
Total number of applicants 7,145 6,057
Total number of admissions given out 5,126 5,595
Admitted students who chose to enroll 778 1,854
Yield rate 15.2% 33.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $25,316

Out of state: $27,684
In state: $25,219

Out of state: $32,089
Average net price $13,669 $14,042
Tuition
In state: $9,472

Out of state: $11,840
In state: $6,870

Out of state: $13,740
Room & board $10,548
Room/dormitory: $4,326

Meal plan: $3,570
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Guaranteed tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

99.0%
Average amount $10,756
92.0%
Average amount $7,693
Students receiving federal student loan 62.0%
Average amount $5,140
51.0%
Average amount $5,106
Students taking out private loans 7.0%
Average amount $10,570
5.0%
Average amount $10,426

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 6,903
Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
8,244
Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students 1,705
Men 37.5% Women 62.5%
1,861
Men 26.6% Women 73.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Low
Out-of-state students 9.6% 7.9%
International students 4.6% 3.8%
Campus local/setting Town: Distant City: Small
Dormitory capacity 4,304 3,675
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Illinois Indiana Ohio Missouri Texas Arkansas Texas Oklahoma Tennessee Alabama

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Education
  • Business
  • Engineering Technologies
  • Health Professions
  • Communication and Journalism
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Business
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio 14:1 15:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 50.7% 49.4%
Dropout rate 15.9% 19.1%
Transferred out 32.6% 29.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $50,607
  • Year 2: $54,386
  • Year 3: $65,635
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,284
  • Year 2: $59,350
  • Year 3: $64,761
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $40,936
  • Year 2: $61,020
  • Year 3: $64,356
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $40,964
  • Year 2: $50,677
  • Year 3: $61,384
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $48,053
  • Year 2: $46,673
  • Year 3: $59,023
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,088
  • Year 2: $50,856
  • Year 3: $57,084
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $51,985
  • Year 2: $53,894
  • Year 3: $56,317
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $47,260
  • Year 3: $49,482
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $35,479
  • Year 2: $41,565
  • Year 3: $47,585
Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $40,850
  • Year 2: $40,768
  • Year 3: $47,302
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $92,284
  • Year 2: $92,358
  • Year 3: $96,070
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $72,491
  • Year 2: $70,736
  • Year 3: $76,640
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,696
  • Year 2: $67,548
  • Year 3: $65,753
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,174
  • Year 2: $58,842
  • Year 3: $59,396
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $52,787
  • Year 2: $57,318
  • Year 3: $57,030
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $51,827
  • Year 2: $52,107
  • Year 3: $55,240
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $45,080
  • Year 2: $45,305
  • Year 3: $52,677
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $48,462
  • Year 2: $47,729
  • Year 3: $52,542
Library Science, Other (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $46,140
  • Year 2: $47,260
  • Year 3: $49,838
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $40,755
  • Year 2: $48,432
  • Year 3: $49,837

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.