Western Illinois University Rankings & Recognition

Western Illinois University appears in 9 of CollegesRef's value rankings by major. Its best placement is #25 of 379 for criminal justice, and #2 of 13 ranked colleges in Illinois.

Western Illinois University rankings by major

Source: CollegesRef value rankings from U.S. College Scorecard data, 2025

Each ranking compares bachelor's programs in one field. A college's value score is the weighted average of four percentiles among the ranked colleges: graduate earnings, average net price, debt compared with earnings, and graduation rate. Percentiles here are 100 for the best figure in the field. How the rankings work

Criminal justice

Ranked #25 of 379 for value

Criminal Justice and Corrections · 166 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $63,125; Ranked-college median: $55,481
Median debt: $22,250; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 75 of 100 · #2 of 13 in Illinois

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 87th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 87th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 61th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 42th percentile

Average net price $10,018 (median $16,222) · graduation rate 49.4% · debt is 35% of earnings

Ranked just above: University of Massachusetts-Lowell (#24)
Ranked just below: Ferris State University (#26)

Best colleges for criminal justice

Business

Ranked #165 of 986 for value

Business Administration, Management and Operations · 56 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $70,021; Ranked-college median: $64,860
Median debt: $20,168; Ranked-college median: $21,375

Value score 67.8 of 100 · #5 of 32 in Illinois

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 67th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 89th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 66th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 36th percentile

Average net price $10,018 (median $19,132) · graduation rate 49.4% · debt is 29% of earnings

Ranked just above: Northern Illinois University (#164)
Ranked just below: Augustana College-Illinois (#166)

Best colleges for business

Communications

Ranked #234 of 388 for value

Communication and Media Studies · 43 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $51,203; Ranked-college median: $56,130
Median debt: $20,000; Ranked-college median: $19,593

Value score 44.6 of 100 · #12 of 16 in Illinois

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 32th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 89th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 33th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 21th percentile

Average net price $10,018 (median $17,285) · graduation rate 49.4% · debt is 39% of earnings

Ranked just above: Saginaw Valley State University (#233)
Ranked just below: Ball State University (#235)

Best colleges for communications

Accounting

Ranked #263 of 408 for value

Accounting and Related Services · 35 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $71,059; Ranked-college median: $76,108
Median debt: $24,249; Ranked-college median: $20,500

Value score 42.8 of 100 · #17 of 19 in Illinois

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 35th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 90th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 15th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 22th percentile

Average net price $10,018 (median $17,285) · graduation rate 49.4% · debt is 34% of earnings

Ranked just above: Boise State University (#262)
Ranked just below: Purdue University Northwest (#264)

Best colleges for accounting

Nursing

Ranked #265 of 686 for value

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · 39 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $86,694; Ranked-college median: $85,171
Median debt: $24,598; Ranked-college median: $20,938

Value score 54.9 of 100 · #6 of 21 in Illinois

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 56th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 88th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 28th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 33th percentile

Average net price $10,018 (median $18,014) · graduation rate 49.4% · debt is 28% of earnings

Ranked just above: Gwynedd Mercy University (#264)
Ranked just below: Minnesota State University Moorhead (#266)

Best colleges for nursing

Computer science

Ranked #271 of 466 for value

Computer and Information Sciences, General · 32 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $92,824; Ranked-college median: $97,375
Median debt: $24,875; Ranked-college median: $19,500

Value score 44.8 of 100 · #12 of 20 in Illinois

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 42th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 87th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 16th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 21th percentile

Average net price $10,018 (median $16,804) · graduation rate 49.4% · debt is 27% of earnings

Ranked just above: University of Kansas (#270)
Ranked just below: University of Maine (#272)

Best colleges for computer science

Education

Ranked #288 of 521 for value

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods · 53 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $43,279; Ranked-college median: $48,822
Median debt: $16,624; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 47 of 100 · #16 of 26 in Illinois

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 15th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 89th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 72th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 30th percentile

Average net price $10,018 (median $17,201) · graduation rate 49.4% · debt is 38% of earnings

Ranked just above: University of Indianapolis (#287)
Ranked just below: University of South Alabama (#289)

Best colleges for education

Biology

Ranked #470 of 680 for value

Biology, General · 36 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $50,855; Ranked-college median: $58,001
Median debt: $21,000; Ranked-college median: $20,717

Value score 39.9 of 100 · #20 of 24 in Illinois

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 22th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 90th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 27th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 23th percentile

Average net price $10,018 (median $18,049) · graduation rate 49.4% · debt is 41% of earnings

Ranked just above: Cleveland State University (#469)
Ranked just below: University of Vermont (#471)

Best colleges for biology

Psychology

Ranked #616 of 814 for value

Psychology, General · 76 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $44,683; Ranked-college median: $51,007
Median debt: $24,296; Ranked-college median: $21,000

Value score 36.1 of 100 · #28 of 29 in Illinois

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 18th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 91th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 11th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 28th percentile

Average net price $10,018 (median $18,874) · graduation rate 49.4% · debt is 54% of earnings