Illinois State vs Principia College

When it comes to higher education, Illinois State University and Principia College stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. Illinois State, a public university located in Normal, Illinois, boasts an acceptance rate of 84%, making it a more accessible option for students. Principia College, on the other hand, is a private Christian college in Elsah, Illinois, with a lower acceptance rate of 68%, indicating a more selective admissions process. While both institutions offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, Illinois State is known for its strong programs in education, business, and nursing, while Principia College excels in liberal arts, humanities, and sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences in student body demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors that can help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Illinois State University	Principia College
Overview
Location	Normal, Illinois	Elsah, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	Rural: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	83.0%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.5%	84.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1000 - 1200	1028 - 1193
ACT range	21 - 27	21 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	51.0%	30.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	13.0%
Total number of applicants	11,913	138
Total number of admissions given out	10,905	116
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,374	79
Yield rate	30.9%	68.1%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $31,811 Out of state: $43,335	$42,820
Average net price	$21,033	$19,816
Tuition	In state: $11,524 Out of state: $23,048	$29,970
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,494 Meal plan: $4,652	Room/dormitory: $5,810 Meal plan: $6,460
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $10,848	94.0% Average amount $25,174
Students receiving federal student loan	46.0% Average amount $5,065	0.0% Average amount $0
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $14,532	94.0% Average amount $2,016

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	17,674 Men 43.0% Women 57.0%	321 Men 53.0% Women 47.0%
Graduate students	2,559 Men 35.1% Women 64.9%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	4.2%	92.7%
International students	2.8%	24.3%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	Rural: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	5,560	585
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Missouri Wisconsin Michigan Iowa	Missouri California Texas Illinois Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science	Visual & Performing Arts Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science Social Sciences Business
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	5:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.3%	85.9%
Dropout rate	32.0%	14.1%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,556 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $102,485 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,002 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $78,276 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,303 Year 2: $72,884 Year 3: $77,896 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,576 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $73,936 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,516 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $73,592 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,000 Year 2: $64,791 Year 3: $70,358 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,829 Year 2: $65,194 Year 3: $65,533 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,294 Year 2: $54,996 Year 3: $64,567 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,313 Year 2: $52,781 Year 3: $64,241 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,480 Year 2: $54,470 Year 3: $63,207	N/A

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Illinois State vs Principia College

Illinois State University

Principia College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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