- TypeUniversities
- LocationMacomb, The United States
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Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university with its main residential campus in Macomb, Illinois, a commuter campus in Moline serving the Quad Cities region, and online programmes. It was founded in 1899 as the Western Illinois State Normal School and later became Western Illinois University. WIU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, with AACSB accreditation for business and ABET for engineering, and has a student-to-faculty ratio of 12:1.
The university offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate majors and programmes. Programmes with the highest enrolment include:
- Law enforcement and justice administration
- Elementary education
- Psychology
- Nursing
- MBA, computer science and public health (graduate)
Students from more than 50 countries attend WIU. The Center for Global Studies supports international students with immigration and visa assistance, cultural activities and study abroad. Tuition is the same for in-state and out-of-state students. International applicants need, for example, IELTS 6.0 or Duolingo 105, and first-year international students can receive merit scholarships of US$4,000 to US$6,000 per year. The Macomb campus has seven residence halls.
Not available
Public University
+1 309-298-3157
, Macomb, IL, The United States, 61455
More than 100 undergraduate and graduate majors and programmes across the Macomb and Quad Cities campuses and online. Examples:
- Law enforcement and justice administration, criminal justice
- Elementary education
- Psychology
- Nursing
- Agriculture
- Business (AACSB-accredited) and engineering (ABET-accredited)
- Liberal arts and humanities, music, general studies
The Quad Cities campus focuses on science and innovation, education and museum studies.
WIU offers master's and doctoral programmes. Graduate programmes with the highest enrolment include alternative teacher licensure, the MBA, the MS in Computer Science, educational leadership and the Master of Public Health. Other graduate fields include accountancy, English, museum studies, music and counselling (CACREP-accredited). Graduate assistantships are merit-based and competitive.
Applicants who are not US citizens or permanent residents apply as international students through WIU's online portal (freshmen can also use the Common App). They submit transcripts, English language scores and, optionally, standardised test scores, and receive a decision in two to three weeks. English proficiency must be met before the application is considered. Students studying in person must provide proof of funding for one academic year; no financial proof is needed for fully online study. The Center for Global Studies provides immigration and visa assistance.
Non-native English speakers submit one of these minimum scores (less than two years old):
- TOEFL iBT 73 (tests before 21 January 2026) or 4.0 (from 21 January 2026)
- IELTS 6.0
- PTE Academic 49, iTEP 3.7, Duolingo 105
Some programmes require more, for example music and nursing (IELTS 6.5) or graduate English and museum studies (IELTS 7.5 and 7.0). Applicants educated in English may use SAT ERW 580 or ACT English 22, and citizens of listed English-speaking countries are exempt.
International scholarships for students starting from fall 2026 (non-sponsored international students, applied to tuition only):
- First-year undergraduates: US$6,000 per year with a GPA of 3.5 or higher, US$4,000 with 3.00-3.49; renewable with a 3.0 GPA
- Transfer undergraduates: US$1,000 to US$3,000 per year depending on GPA
- New graduate students: US$4,000 per year with a 3.0 undergraduate GPA
Merit-based graduate assistantships are also available but competitive.
The Macomb campus has seven residence halls. Examples include Thompson Hall (about 1,000 students, with First Year Experience floors for freshmen and its own dining centre), Corbin-Olson Halls (about 800 upper-division and graduate students) and Westbrook House, a small community of about 30 graduate and non-traditional students where a meal plan is not required. WIU estimates room and board at US$12,250 per year (double room) in its 2025-26 cost of study.