Knowee
Questions
Features
Study Tools
3.5
Overall Quality
Reputation
3.3
Food
3.1
Clubs
3.6
Facilities
3.5
Internet
3
Location
3
Opportunities
3.6
Safety
3.7
Social
3.6
Happiness
3.8

Basic Information

Location

  • Macomb, IL

Institution Overview

  • Public/Private: Public university
  • Established: April 24, 1899; 125 years ago (April 24, 1899)
  • Founder: Alfred Bayliss, Macomb's Freemasons (Illinois Lodge #17)

Academic information

Degree Courses

  • Over 100 degree programs
  • including: - 64 undergraduate degree programs - 38 graduate programs - 2 doctoral programs

Key Area

  • Inquiry-based Learning and Science
  • Chemistry
  • Atomic
  • Molecular and Optics (AMO) physics
  • Theoretical High Energy Physics/Astrophysics
  • Psychology

Student and Staff Numbers

  • Students: 6,332 (Fall 2024)
  • Undergraduates: 6,332 total enrollment, but the specific number of undergraduate students for Fall 2024 is not provided in the sources. However, based on the Fall 2023 data, the number of undergraduate students was 5,025. So, the approximate number for Fall 2024 could be around 5,000, but the exact figure is not available
  • Postgraduates: 2,048
  • Academic Staff: 515
  • Administrative Staff: 798

Notable Alumni

  • Robert Nardelli
  • Tim Walberg
  • Larry Kenney
  • Frank Winters
  • Brandon Gilbeck

10 FAQs about this University fromredditReddit

Students talk about this school

Good reviews
Overall 5
I am so grateful for the amazing experiences I am having at WIU! Truly a great university and community to be part of.
Overall 5
Great school!
Overall 4.8
Attending WIU for Social Work and I love it. Most of the professors are great you get a bad apple from time to time. The campus is beautiful and safe. Parking is good and the walk if you live on campus is not far from the dorms. Lots of clubs and organizations to join. The facilities are clean and well maintained. I would get my masters from WIU.
Overall 4.7
Very safe and fun college. Lots of opportunities for the future, WIU prepares students very well for careers. Many places to eat in town, but not a lot of actual stores for clothing, which is not a big deal. Clean campus as well as many friendly people.
Overall 4.7
I love Western. Best school
Overall 4.6
Western University is such an amazing school. Not too expensive but you get a great education. I would recommend to anyone who is looking into colleges. Western is located in a small town of Macomb so it is very rural, however the students have found ways to have fun with it. Great professors and staff as well, they all care very much.
Overall 4.6
Western offers bountiful opportunities for students at a fraction of the cost. A friendly staff working towards a common goal, always putting students first. Western is a hidden gem, so glad to have found it. Go 'Necks!
Overall 4.5
Great college!
Overall 4.4
I love Western! I have so many amazing opportunities here. It's what you make of it. If you plan on coming to school and doing nothing, you probably wont like the school. However, if you plan to get involved and take advantage of the opportunities given to you, you'll miss out by not coming to Western. I couldn't imagine a better school!
Overall 4.4
WIU is a good place to get away, but also a great place to meet new people. For the size of the school and the town it's in, there are plenty of opportunities.
Bad reviews
Overall 1
I wouldn't recommend this college to anyone. Absolutely terrible staff. In all honestly how in the world is this place still operating?
Overall 1
Extremely lame. It's at the point where people from other schools are making fun out of students who attend WIU. Not a very positive place to be. When the school year is over they get really ignorant because they want there students to return home because they have no jobs out there for students.
Overall 1
very interesting how this crappy place is still open after covid-19. Even before that it was a complete dump
Overall 1
Nothing to do. Bad teachers/staff. Horrible Food. Safety is low with all doors to my building unlocked so get ready for police every night. Fire alarms constant. Internet goes out randomly. Clubs are hard to find. This school is cheap and that is the only quality that it holds itself to. Please go somewhere else. Community college would be better
Overall 1
As an online student, I am very unsatisfied with my WIU experience. I feel as though the classes are not up to the standards of a graduate program. My program was unorganized. I chose this university because the price was good, but I very much wish I would have done more research and gone somewhere else. I strongly recommend not attending wiu.
Overall 1.5
Worst experience I have ever had in life regarding my education. Professors are unorganized and do not care about the student. There is absolutely nothing to do in the middle of Macomb Illinois. The whole place looks like everyone does meth. And the school is dying more and more every year. I would never in my life recommend anyone to WIU.
Overall 1.6
Literally the worst school I've ever attended... The staff is aight. The location is TERRIBLE. No Uber or Lyft. Takes about 2 minutes to get anywhere because this town is so small, and I hope you like Walmart or HyVee because that's all the shopping you get unless you want to drive 3.5 hours to Chicago for actual civilization.
Overall 1.6
I transferred here from a community college and WIU has been disappointing. I should of done more research prior to coming here. The teachers are meh and disorganized. The opportunities are limited and non existent. Good luck finding a job or internship around here. The parking lots and roads around school are filled with pot holes. Waste of time!
Overall 1.7
I would not go here. I was an online student applied under the GEM program through Air University. I don't understand how this school falls under the General Education Mobile program and gets away with still charging its military students these excess fees.after TA school sent me a bill $400
Overall 1.8
Started at WIU, transferred to Iowa immediately after first semester ended - no competition in class. Now that I've completed grad school and worked a few years I realize why WIU has such a poor reputation, no ambition or work ethic among students.