Western Illinois University Acceptance Rate & Admissions

At 71.2%, admission to Western Illinois University is less frequent than at comparable institutions of its type and size. Its rate is below the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size), a useful comparison point rather than a forecast for an individual applicant.

Transfer pathways are a prominent part of the undergraduate mix at Western Illinois University, where an estimated 50.0% of undergraduates enter after beginning college elsewhere. The university enrolls 4,410 undergraduates, and 28.1% receive Pell Grants, a measure of financial access rather than a description of family background.

These figures describe a campus serving both students who start there and those continuing prior college work. Applicants who are Pell-eligible or planning to transfer should compare aid offers and confirm how prior coursework applies to their intended field. The enrollment mix points to more than one common route into the university.

For students weighing persistence, Western Illinois University’s published outcomes sit below comparable institutions on both returning after the first year and finishing within six years. The first-year retention rate is 61.4%, compared with a peer median of 73.7% for comparable institutions.

Its six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 45.2%, below the peer median of 49.1%. Pell recipients in that cohort complete within six years at 52.8%, above the overall rate by 7.6 percentage points.

Enrolled students can expect these figures to describe prior cohorts rather than any individual path through college.