Private nonprofit · University

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois · Small city

#5 most selective in Illinois
39.3%
Admit rate
$28,199
Avg net price
75%
Graduation rate
$70,871
Median earnings

Illinois Wesleyan University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Bloomington, Illinois (small city setting), enrolling 1,582 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,582 undergradsSmall citySelective · 39% admitNCAA Division III with football · College Conference of Illinois and WisconsinCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Illinois Wesleyan University's admitted students.

Admit rate
39.3%
SAT (mid 50%)
1120–1340
Avg GPA (est.)
3.66

Enter a test score to see where you land against Illinois Wesleyan University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Illinois Wesleyan University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Bloomington, Illinois

Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The Bloomington area was at the edge of a large grove occupied by the Kickapoo before the first Euro-American settlers arrived in the early 1820s. Bloomington-Normal ranks competitively in Richard Florida's creativity rankings. Most noteworthy is Bloomington-Normal's creative class share of the workforce, which resulted in a No. 1 rating for Bloomington-Normal's creativity rank. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
34 miles to Peoria, IL
To Great Lakes shore
114 miles
Nearest airport
4 miles to Central Illinois Regional Airport at Bloomington-Normal (BMI)

How Illinois Wesleyan University compares

Selectivity39.3%

More selective than 90% · #5 most selective of 58 in Illinois

SAT average1275

Higher than 75%

Graduation rate75%

Higher than 84% · #8 of 58 in Illinois

First-year retention80%

Higher than 63%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$70,871

Higher than 84% · #13 of 66 in Illinois

Average net price$28,199

Cheaper than 20% · #50 cheapest of 57 in Illinois

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment1,582

Larger than 51%

Percentiles compare Illinois Wesleyan University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Illinois.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

1,582undergrads
  • Women82752%
  • Men75548%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White64%
  • Black8.3%
  • Hispanic12%
  • Asian5.5%
  • Other or multiracial11%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,582
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
26%
First-generation students
18%
Students over 25
1%
Median family income
$98,014
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$79,452
Endowment
$255,858,735

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
39.3%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1120–1340
SAT average
1275
SAT reading
550–670
SAT math
570–670
ACT composite
25–30
Average GPA (estimated)
3.66

Cost

In-state tuition
$57,704
Room & board
$13,370
Books & supplies
$800
Total cost of attendance
$70,700
Average net price
$28,199

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
75%
Graduated on time (4 years)
66%
First-year retention
80%
Transferred to another college
19%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$56,082
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$70,871
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
63%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
82%

About 9% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
66%
Low-income (Pell)
78%
First-generation
77%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,336
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
84%
Housing charge (year)
$8,050
Meal plan (year)
$4,880
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
Varsity athletes
769 (505 men · 264 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (13)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)244
Football136
Lacrosse77
Soccer55
Baseball50
Volleyball42
Basketball37
Golf31
Tennis23
Wrestling23
Softball22
Swimming and Diving (combined)22
Bowling7

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
14
Property offenses (2022–2024)
3

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,582 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

5.7reported offenses a year
4.7 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.3
Fondling
2.3
Burglary
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$17,732
$30–48k
$19,057
$48–75k
$23,152
$75–110k
$27,396
$110k+
$37,104

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$96,750

$23,152/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

98%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$34,619
average award, among those who get one

Illinois Wesleyan University discounts heavily: 98% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $34,619. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 382 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$70,871
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
38%
Out-earn a HS grad
72%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$66,415
Men
$76,803

Men out-earn women by $10,388 (16%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
86°F
Winter low
16°F
Annual rain
39.4″
Annual snow
20.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Normal 4NE, IL US station (4.7 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Illinois Wesleyan University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Illinois Wesleyan University side by side →

Colleges near Illinois Wesleyan University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.