The student population at Illinois Wesleyan University is 1,582 (all undergraduate). The number of students has decreased by 260 (14.12%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 1,656 where 1,582 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 5 year-over-year increases and 4 decreases. It peaked at 1,842 students in 2016 and was lowest at 1,527 in 2023. Overall, enrollment dropped from 1,842 to 1,582 students, a net loss of 260 (14.1%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Illinois Wesleyan University since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 1,842 | 815 | 1,027 |
| 2016-17 | 1,771 -71 | 821 6 | 950 -77 |
| 2017-18 | 1,649 -122 | 748 -73 | 901 -49 |
| 2018-19 | 1,693 44 | 808 60 | 885 -16 |
| 2019-20 | 1,629 -64 | 779 -29 | 850 -35 |
| 2020-21 | 1,636 7 | 780 1 | 856 6 |
| 2021-22 | 1,653 17 | 816 36 | 837 -19 |
| 2022-23 | 1,527 -126 | 783 -33 | 744 -93 |
| 2023-24 | 1,576 49 | 816 33 | 760 16 |
| 2024-25 | 1,582 6 | 797 -19 | 785 25 |
| Average | 1,656 | 796 | 860 |
The percentage of white students is 63.91%. The percentage was 71.01% 10 years ago and IWU still has a high percentage of white students. 5.50% of enrolled students is Asian and 8.34% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 11.69% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 71.01% to 63.91%. Asian enrollment grew from 4.23% to 5.50%. Black student enrollment increased from 4.02% to 8.34%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 6.68% to 11.69%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.5672 which indicates that moderately diverse. This increased from 0.4872 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Illinois Wesleyan University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
| Year | American Indian or Native American | Asian | Black | Hispanic | Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | White | Two or More Races |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 1 | 78 | 74 | 123 | 1 | 1,308 | 49 |
| 2016-17 | 0 | 77 | 77 | 123 | 1 | 1,255 | 45 |
| 2017-18 | 0 | 94 | 86 | 135 | 1 | 1,138 | 33 |
| 2018-19 | 0 | 93 | 104 | 159 | 0 | 1,175 | 45 |
| 2019-20 | 0 | 107 | 111 | 141 | 1 | 1,134 | 39 |
| 2020-21 | 0 | 111 | 112 | 153 | 1 | 1,145 | 61 |
| 2021-22 | 2 | 110 | 119 | 157 | 1 | 1,147 | 53 |
| 2022-23 | 2 | 109 | 112 | 139 | 2 | 1,050 | 33 |
| 2023-24 | 2 | 89 | 132 | 160 | 1 | 1,033 | 30 |
| 2024-25 | 3 | 87 | 132 | 185 | 1 | 1,011 | 44 |
| Average | 1 | 96 | 106 | 148 | 1 | 1,140 | 43 |
Illinois Wesleyan University does not offer online degree/certificate programs. All Students have enrolled in on-campus programs.
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