National Louis University (NLU) vs Western Illinois University (WIU)

National Louis University and Western Illinois University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. National Louis University, located in Chicago, Illinois, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on online learning, with an acceptance rate of 100%. Western Illinois University, situated in Macomb, Illinois, offers a more traditional campus experience, with an acceptance rate of 88%. While both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, National Louis University excels in fields such as education, nursing, and business, while Western Illinois University is renowned for its programs in agriculture, education, and engineering. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	National Louis University	Western Illinois University
Overview
Location	Chicago, Illinois	Macomb, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Large	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	61.0%	72.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.0%	72.5%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	1,518	7,156
Total number of admissions given out	1,473	5,187
Admitted students who chose to enroll	558	920
Yield rate	37.9%	17.7%
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	$32,325	$29,140
Average net price	$14,665	$11,666
Tuition	$10,755	$9,238
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $6,240 Meal plan: $3,952
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	93.0% Average amount $8,931	94.0% Average amount $13,937
Students receiving federal student loan	14.0% Average amount $3,883	50.0% Average amount $5,417
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $19,696	5.0% Average amount $9,533

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,607 Men 25.8% Women 74.2%	5,394 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%
Graduate students	3,708 Men 17.5% Women 82.5%	2,061 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	2.9%	9.7%
International students	1.3%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	N/A	3,083
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Indiana Arizona California	Illinois Iowa Missouri Wisconsin Indiana

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Psychology Family and Consumer Sciences Multidisciplinary Studies	Education Business Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	33.8%	50.9%
Dropout rate	51.2%	16.5%
Transferred out	12.5%	31.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $116,556 Year 2: $86,424 Year 3: $90,466 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,515 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $68,357 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,800 Year 2: $56,234 Year 3: $62,702 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,308 Year 2: $59,921 Year 3: $62,677 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,451 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $59,800 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,872 Year 2: $63,600 Year 3: $59,310 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,332 Year 2: $53,017 Year 3: $57,588 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,059 Year 2: $54,238 Year 3: $55,084 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,097 Year 2: $50,887 Year 3: $53,488 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,720 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $53,026	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,427 Year 2: $63,166 Year 3: $79,149 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,346 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: $72,457 Engineering Technology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,220 Year 2: $60,771 Year 3: $65,823 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $64,904 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,827 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $64,741 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,966 Year 2: $58,334 Year 3: $63,350 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,154 Year 2: $49,729 Year 3: $54,520 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,063 Year 2: $43,612 Year 3: $53,379 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,058 Year 2: $48,667 Year 3: $52,271 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,853 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $51,827

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