Western Illinois University acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
Western Illinois University is a public university in Illinois that admits most qualified applicants (around 71%), which puts it in the moderately selective range. A rate like this means it admits more applicants than it rejects; the bar is less about clearing a single cutoff and more about how your full profile compares to admitted students.
Use this page to see what Western Illinois University weighs, where it ranks among Illinois schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1060, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at Western Illinois University?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Western Illinois University?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Western Illinois University, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Western Illinois University?
At Western Illinois University, your real chance depends on far more than the published 71% admit rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Western Illinois University in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Western Illinois University hard to get into?
Western Illinois University is moderately selective: it admits more applicants than it rejects, with about a 71% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into Western Illinois University?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Western Illinois University, but admitted students often present roughly a 3.2 to 3.7 GPA. Western Illinois University reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
What SAT score do you need for Western Illinois University?
Western Illinois University does not publish a required score, but the admitted-student 75th-percentile SAT is around 1060. A score at or above that range strengthens your application, while a lower score puts more weight on your rigor, activities, and essays. CollegeCalcAI shows how your exact score shifts your odds at Western Illinois University.
Your chances at Western Illinois University by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Western Illinois University for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 3 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Western Illinois University with a 3.1 GPA and a 1000 SAT?
About 88% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1000 SAT, the middle of Western Illinois University's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1060 SAT comes out near 97%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/western-illinois-university.
How to get into Western Illinois University
Built from Western Illinois University's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Getting into Western Illinois University comes down to four decisions, each one visible in the data on this page.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Western Illinois University carries about a 3.22 core GPA and a 1010 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
Western Illinois University rates rigor of secondary school record and academic GPA highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Most public universities read early applicants first without a binding commitment. Apply by Western Illinois University's early or priority deadline (confirm dates at www.wiu.edu), and if you are out of state, know that residency changes both the bar and the price.
How many students apply to Western Illinois University, and how many get in?
8,479 students applied to Western Illinois University for fall 2023; 6,356 were admitted (75%). 968 enrolled. Only about 15% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. Western Illinois University enrolls about 4,410 undergraduates in total, 59% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 12 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Western Illinois University?
Western Illinois University reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores, so admission turns on your transcript, rigor, and the rest of the file.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Western Illinois University looks for
What Western Illinois University weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
Western Illinois University signals that it values rigor of secondary school record and academic GPA above the rest of the file. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from Western Illinois University's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Western Illinois University
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Western Illinois University cost after financial aid?
Western Illinois University's published cost of attendance, before any aid, is roughly $28,254 per year. Tuition and fees alone are $15,264. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $12,937 a year, and it ranges from $6,941 for families earning under $30,000 to $19,701 for families earning over $110,000. 28% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Western Illinois University graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Ten years after enrolling, the median Western Illinois University student who received federal aid earns $54,163 a year, up from $43,057 at six years. 45% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 61% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $25,251; 32% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Western Illinois University compares in Illinois
Western Illinois University ranks #18 most selective of 37 schools in Illinois in our database.
Among the 37 Illinois schools we track, Western Illinois University ranks #18 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like University of Chicago (4%) and Northwestern University (8%) sit nearby, which makes Illinois a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list. As a public university, residency matters: in-state applicants generally see meaningfully better odds than the headline rate suggests.
Similar to Western Illinois University
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
If Western Illinois University is on your list, schools with a similar admit profile are worth a look: University of Delaware, University of South Alabama, and Virginia Military Institute. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Western Illinois University's acceptance rate?
Western Illinois University admitted 6,356 of 8,479 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 75% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 15% of admitted students enrolled.
Is Western Illinois University test-optional?
Western Illinois University reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores.
How much does Western Illinois University cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Western Illinois University, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $12,937 a year against a sticker price of about $28,254. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $6,941 on average.
What do Western Illinois University graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Western Illinois University are $54,163 a year among students who received federal aid, and 45% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Western Illinois University value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Western Illinois University weighs rigor of secondary school record and academic GPA most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Western Illinois University favor in-state applicants?
As a public university, Western Illinois University generally admits in-state applicants at a higher rate than out-of-state applicants, so your home state affects your odds. CollegeCalcAI applies an in-state residency boost when you select your state.
How can I improve my chances at Western Illinois University?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Western Illinois University specifically.
How does residency affect admission to Western Illinois University?
As a public university, Western Illinois University typically admits in-state students at a higher rate, and tuition differs sharply by residency. Select your home state in the calculator to fold the in-state effect into your estimate.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.