Eastern Illinois University

Eastern Illinois University Overview

Eastern Illinois University is a public, state school in a small town setting in Charleston, Illinois. Eastern was founded in 1895 and the school now enrolls around 8,608 students per year, including 6,903 undergraduates. Eastern provides on-campus housing for up to 4,365 students. Most students live in off campus housing, and 58% of students spend their weekends on campus.

There are many ways for students to get involved at Eastern!

Are you interested in music or performing? At Eastern you can join a campus band, sing in a chorus, or perform with one of the school's theater groups.

Are you interested in journalism and communications? Eastern students can write for the campus newspaper, host a radio show or be a producer for the student-run television channel.

Interested in joining a fraternity or sorority? Eastern has fraternities and sororities.

Planning to play sports? Eastern has many options for athletes. See them all and learn more about life at Eastern on the Student Life page.

Is Eastern a Good School?

Different people have different ideas about what makes a "good" school. Admissions difficulty, admitted student statistics, tuition, and financial aid can all provide a sense of how selective a university is.

Let's take a closer look at these areas to get a better sense of what Eastern offers and if it seems like a good choice for you.

Eastern Acceptance Rate 2022

It is moderately difficult to get into Eastern. The acceptance rate at Eastern is 72%. Last year, 7,077 students applied to Eastern and 5,111 were admitted.

Retention and Graduation Rates at Eastern

Retention refers to the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. It gauges how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.

Approximately 73% of first-year, full-time undergrads who start at Easternare still enrolled the next year. Easternhas a six year graduation rate of 51 for undergrads. The average six-year graduation rate for U.S. colleges and universities is 61% for public schools, and 67% for private, non-profit schools.

Job Outlook Eastern Graduates

Job placement rates after graduation and average starting salaries can all give important clues about the value of a degree from a specific school. Within six months of graduating, 48% of graduates receive at least one full-time job offer.

Recent Eastern grads have an average starting salary of $46,000 a year. The average starting salary for all 2021 graduates was around $60,000 a year, though these numbers vary widely by major.

Eastern Illinois University's Endowment

An endowment is the total value of a school's investments, donations, and assets. Endowment is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of a school, but it can give you a sense of how much money a college can afford to invest in expanding programs, improving facilities, and support students.

As of 2022, the total market value of Eastern Illinois University's endowment was $102.4 million. The average college endowment was $905 million in 2021. For each full-time student, Eastern spends about $8,881 a year.

Tuition and Financial Aid at Eastern

Tuition is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students' financial need.

Eastern meets 51% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. First-year students that attend Eastern full-time are awarded $15,318 a year in financial aid, on average.

The average student debt for graduates in the class of 2022 was around $29,263 per student, not including those with no debt. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.

The 2023-2024 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2022

Some financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA as soon as you can. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! You should never have to pay to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), so be very wary of anyone asking you for money.

Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at Eastern.

Based on this information, is Eastern the school for you? Remember, a school that is perfect for one person may not be the right school for another! So ask yourself: Is Eastern a good school for you?

If Eastern Illinois University seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.

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Choose one of the options below to learn more about Eastern:

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Then use the college admissions predictor to take a data science look at your chances of getting into some of the colleges and universities in the U.S.

Where is Eastern?

Eastern is located in the small town setting of Charleston, Illinois.

If you want to see Eastern for yourself, be sure to plan a visit! The best way to reach campus is to take Interstate 57 to Charleston, or book a flight to the nearest airport, University of Illinois Willard.

You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what Eastern and Charleston are like without leaving home.

Considering Going to School in Illinois?

See a full list of colleges in Illinois and save your favorites to your college list.