Match #1
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, IL
Profile closeness95/100
Admit rate65%
- 4,188 students
- Public
- Town: Distant
- Graduation rate 50%, close to 49%
- Enrollment 4,188 students, close to 4,410
The colleges most similar to Western Illinois University are Eastern Illinois University, Northeastern Illinois University, and Northern Illinois University. Western Illinois University admits 71% of applicants and has an average net price of $10,018 a year; 3 of its 10 alternatives cost less and 5 admit a larger share of applicants, in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition.
Profile closeness (0–100) compares graduation rate, size, admit rate, net price, Carnegie class, and control with Western Illinois University. The order also uses CollegesRef matching tiers, so a later match can score higher. Admit-rate bars use a 0–100% scale.
Top 10 alternatives to Western Illinois University
Row-wise results ranked by similarity. No curated AI list exists for this school.
Match #2
Northeastern Illinois University
Chicago, IL
Profile closeness79/100
Admit rate75%
- 3,982 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Enrollment 3,982 students, close to 4,410
- Average net price $9,377, close to $10,018
Match #3
Northern Illinois University
Dekalb, IL
Profile closeness78/100
Admit rate70%
- 11,301 students
- Public
- Suburb: Small
- Graduation rate 48%, close to 49%
- Acceptance rate 70%, close to 71%
Match #4
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
Edwardsville, IL
Profile closeness73/100
Admit rate98%
- 8,750 students
- Public
- Suburb: Large
- Graduation rate 56%, close to 49%
- Same control type (public)
Match #5
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Carbondale, IL
Profile closeness72/100
Admit rate87%
- 8,494 students
- Public
- City: Small
- Average net price $12,554, close to $10,018
- Same control type (public)
Match #6
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, IL
Profile closeness62/100
Admit rate77%
- 22,170 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Average net price $9,540, close to $10,018
- Acceptance rate 77%, close to 71%
Match #7
Governors State University
University Park, IL
Profile closeness61/100
Admit rate48%
- 2,556 students
- Public
- Rural: Fringe
- Same Carnegie classification
- Same control type (public)
Match #8
Illinois State University
Normal, IL
Profile closeness51/100
Admit rate88%
- 19,057 students
- Public
- Suburb: Midsize
- Same control type (public)
Match #9
Chicago State University
Chicago, IL
Profile closeness49/100
Admit rate43%
- 1,384 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Average net price $7,273, close to $10,018
- Same Carnegie classification
Match #10
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Main Campus
Champaign, IL
Profile closeness28/100
Admit rate42%
- 36,258 students
- Public
- City: Small
- Same control type (public)
Questions about Western Illinois University alternatives
What colleges are similar to Western Illinois University?
The closest matches to Western Illinois University are Eastern Illinois University, Northeastern Illinois University, Northern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, and Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. CollegesRef ranks them on admissions, cost, graduation rate, size, and campus profile using IPEDS and College Scorecard data.
Is Western Illinois University hard to get into?
Western Illinois University admitted 71% of its 7,156 applicants in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition, so it is moderately selective. 5 of its 10 closest alternatives admit a larger share of applicants.
Which Western Illinois University alternatives cost less?
3 of the 10 closest alternatives have a lower average net price than Western Illinois University ($10,018 a year), including Chicago State University ($7,273), Northeastern Illinois University ($9,377), and University of Illinois at Chicago ($9,540). Net price is what first-time, full-time students paid after grants; your own price depends on family income.
