Illinois State vs Western Kentucky University (WKU)

Envision yourself as a student, embarking on a journey of higher education. As you navigate the vast landscape of universities, two prominent institutions emerge: Illinois State University and Western Kentucky University. While both share a commitment to academic excellence, they possess distinct characteristics that may influence your decision. Illinois State boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a diverse student body from various backgrounds. Western Kentucky, on the other hand, offers a more intimate learning environment with smaller class sizes. Explore the comparison table below to delve into further details, such as popular majors, graduation rates, and financial aid opportunities, to determine which university aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	Illinois State University	Western Kentucky University
Overview
Location	Normal, Illinois	Bowling Green, Kentucky
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	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	83.0%	73.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.5%	98.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1000 - 1200	N/A
ACT range	21 - 27	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	51.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%
Total number of applicants	11,913	7,255
Total number of admissions given out	10,905	7,145
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,374	2,832
Yield rate	30.9%	39.6%
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: $31,811 Out of state: $43,335	In state: $27,895 Out of state: $43,903
Average net price	$21,033	$12,395
Tuition	In state: $11,524 Out of state: $23,048	In state: $10,992 Out of state: $27,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,494 Meal plan: $4,652	Room/dormitory: $6,744 Meal plan: $3,964
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	98.0% Average amount $9,576
Students receiving federal student loan	46.0% Average amount $5,065	47.0% Average amount $5,128
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $14,532	5.0% Average amount $9,983

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	17,674 Men 43.0% Women 57.0%	14,729 Men 37.8% Women 62.2%
Graduate students	2,559 Men 35.1% Women 64.9%	2,021 Men 34.1% Women 65.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	4.2%	N/A
International students	2.8%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	5,560	4,942
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	Tennessee Indiana Illinois Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.3%	53.6%
Dropout rate	32.0%	22.1%
Transferred out	N/A	22.9%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,015 Year 2: $86,696 Year 3: $95,431 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,960 Year 2: $76,998 Year 3: $77,293 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,199 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $77,197 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,704 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $68,358 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,193 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $66,850 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,992 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $65,815 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,607 Year 2: $61,144 Year 3: $65,553 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,759 Year 2: $51,551 Year 3: $57,443 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,729 Year 2: $52,897 Year 3: $56,104 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,172 Year 2: $56,281 Year 3: $55,609

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Illinois State vs Western Kentucky University (WKU)

Illinois State University

Western Kentucky University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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