Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) vs Wesleyan University

Nestled in the heart of the Midwest, Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) and Wesleyan University in Connecticut share a common name but offer distinct educational experiences. IWU, a private liberal arts college, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it more accessible to aspiring students. Wesleyan University, on the other hand, is a highly selective institution with a lower acceptance rate, attracting top academic performers. While both universities offer a diverse range of majors, IWU excels in nursing, business, and education, while Wesleyan University shines in the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table to uncover further differences in student demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors that will help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.
Illinois Wesleyan University logo

Illinois Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University logo

Wesleyan University

Overview

Location Bloomington, Illinois Middletown, Connecticut
Campus setting City: Small City: Small
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system 4-1-4 Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 85.0% 95.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 45.2% 19.4%
Application fees $55
SAT range 1110 - 1310 1300 - 1510
ACT range 24 - 29 31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score 33.0% 51.0%
Students submitting ACT score 31.0% 27.0%
Total number of applicants 4,543 13,067
Total number of admissions given out 2,055 2,540
Admitted students who chose to enroll 432 910
Yield rate 21.0% 35.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Not required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $67,124 $82,245
Average net price $30,610 $20,535
Tuition $52,308 $61,449
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $7,584

Meal plan: $4,528
$17,531
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

100.0%
Average amount $34,810
40.0%
Average amount $58,925
Students receiving federal student loan 68.0%
Average amount $5,692
18.0%
Average amount $3,834
Students taking out private loans 35.0%
Average amount $6,781
2.0%
Average amount $27,881

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 1,653
Men 49.4% Women 50.6%
3,385
Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Graduate students N/A 196
Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Low
Out-of-state students N/A 90.3%
International students 3.4% 11.3%
Campus local/setting City: Small City: Small
Dormitory capacity 1,308 3,063
First year students are required to live on campus? No Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A New York California Connecticut New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Social Sciences
  • Psychology
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio 12:1 8:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 81.1% 91.0%
Dropout rate 18.7% 3.6%
Transferred out N/A 5.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $57,305
  • Year 2: $53,358
  • Year 3: $77,743
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,838
  • Year 2: $62,792
  • Year 3: $73,001
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,460
  • Year 2: $62,775
  • Year 3: $69,764
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $45,302
  • Year 2: $50,356
  • Year 3: $56,336
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $26,739
  • Year 3: $46,139
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $32,272
  • Year 2: $31,314
  • Year 3: $39,988
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $18,075
  • Year 2: $20,140
  • Year 3: $30,321
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $61,516
  • Year 3: N/A
Music (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $27,439
  • Year 3: N/A
Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $36,674
  • Year 3: N/A
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $53,775
  • Year 3: $53,847
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $38,232
  • Year 2: $36,334
  • Year 3: $45,541

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