For the academic year 2024-2025, Western Illinois University has a total enrollment of 6,332 students, including 4,525 undergraduate and 1,807 graduate students.
Compared to similar public Master's College and University (larger programs) - which average 10,123 - Western Illinois's body is much smaller.
Explore complete student demographics below, including gender ratio, race and ethnicity, age distribution, and distance learning statistics.
By gender, 2,569 male (40.57%) and 3,763 female (59.43%) students are attending Western Illinois University. The number of male students per 100 females students (male-to-female ratio) is 68.27.
By class level, 4,525 (71.46%) are undergraduate students and 1,807 (28.54%) are graduate students. Among undergraduates, 41.06% are male and 58.94% are female, while among graduate students, 39.35% are male and 60.65% are female.
| Total | Undergraduate | Graduate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 6,332 | 4,525 | 1,807 |
| Men | 2,569 | 1,858 | 711 |
| Women | 3,763 | 2,667 | 1,096 |
By race/ethnicity, 3,615 White, 966 Black, and 90 Asian students out of a total of 6,332 are attending at Western Illinois University. Comprehensive enrollment statistic data by race/ethnicity is shown in the chart below (academic year 2024-2025 data).
Western Illinois University is moderately diverse with a diversity index of 63.8% measured by Census Bureau Diversity Index. The institution demonstrates strong racial and ethnic diversity among its student body.
| Race | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian or Native American | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| Asian | 90 | 36 | 54 |
| Black | 966 | 403 | 563 |
| Hispanic | 661 | 260 | 401 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| White | 3,615 | 1,414 | 2,201 |
| Two or more races | 187 | 85 | 102 |
| Race Unknown | 147 | 57 | 90 |
| Race | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian or Native American | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Asian | 63 | 25 | 38 |
| Black | 826 | 343 | 483 |
| Hispanic | 534 | 216 | 318 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| White | 2,638 | 1,099 | 1,539 |
| Two or more races | 160 | 70 | 90 |
| Race Unknown | 93 | 34 | 59 |
| Race | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian or Native American | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Asian | 27 | 11 | 16 |
| Black | 140 | 60 | 80 |
| Hispanic | 127 | 44 | 83 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders | - | - | - |
| White | 977 | 315 | 662 |
| Two or more races | 27 | 15 | 12 |
| Race Unknown | 54 | 23 | 31 |
By age, Western Illinois has 133 students under 18 years old and 30 students over 65 years old. There are 4,138 students under 25 years old, and 2,194 students over 25 years old out of 6,332 total students.
In undergraduate programs, 133 students are younger than 18 and 3 students are older than 65. Western Illinois has 3,682 undergraduate students aged under 25 and 843 students aged 25 and over.
It has 456 graduate students aged under 25 and 1,351 students aged 25 and over.
| Age | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 133 | 86 | 47 |
| 18-19 | 1,227 | 753 | 474 |
| 20-21 | 1,532 | 881 | 651 |
| 22-24 | 1,246 | 711 | 535 |
| 25-29 | 765 | 429 | 336 |
| 30-34 | 417 | 243 | 174 |
| 35-39 | 336 | 210 | 126 |
| 40-49 | 451 | 317 | 134 |
| 50-64 | 195 | 116 | 79 |
| Over 65 | 30 | 17 | 13 |
| Age | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 133 | 86 | 47 |
| 18-19 | 1,227 | 753 | 474 |
| 20-21 | 1,497 | 853 | 644 |
| 22-24 | 825 | 445 | 380 |
| 25-29 | 302 | 175 | 127 |
| 30-34 | 156 | 97 | 59 |
| 35-39 | 146 | 99 | 47 |
| 40-49 | 173 | 118 | 55 |
| 50-64 | 63 | 39 | 24 |
| Over 65 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Age | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20-21 | 35 | 28 | 7 |
| 22-24 | 421 | 266 | 155 |
| 25-29 | 463 | 254 | 209 |
| 30-34 | 261 | 146 | 115 |
| 35-39 | 190 | 111 | 79 |
| 40-49 | 278 | 199 | 79 |
| 50-64 | 132 | 77 | 55 |
| Over 65 | 27 | 15 | 12 |
Distance learning, also called online education, is very attractive to students, especially those who want to continue education and work in the field. At Western Illinois University, 1,607 students are enrolled exclusively in online courses and 2,917 students are enrolled in some online courses.
1,348 students who live in Illinois or the jurisdiction in which the school is located are enrolled exclusively in online courses and 259 students live in another State or outside of the United States.
| All Students | Enrolled Exclusively Online Courses | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Students | 6,332 | 1,607 | 2,917 |
| Undergraduate | 4,525 | 973 | 2,346 |
| Graduate | 1,807 | 634 | 571 |
| Illinois Residents | Other States in U.S. | Outside of U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Students | 1,348 | 225 | 34 |
| Undergraduate | 821 | 118 | 34 |
| Graduate | 527 | 107 | 0 |
Among 4,525 enrolled in undergraduate programs, 596 students have transferred-in from other institutions. The percentage of transfer-in students is 13.17%.480 students have transferred in as full-time status and 116 students transferred in as part-time status.
| Number of Students | |
|---|---|
| Regular Full-time | 3,256 |
| Transfer-in Full-time | 480 |
| Regular Part-time | 673 |
| Transfer-in Part-time | 116 |
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