Illinois Wesleyan University - Bloomington, IL

Illinois Wesleyan University is an independent, co-educational, undergraduate university.

Mission

Illinois Wesleyan University strives to provide a liberal education of high quality for all of our students, whether enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts or in one of the professional School of Nursing, Art, Music or Theatre Arts. An Illinois Wesleyan education is distinctive in giving a liberal arts direction to the curricula of the professional schools and programs and in allowing liberal arts majors access to a wide variety of professional courses as electives.

Above all, whatever their course of studies, we wish to enable Illinois Wesleyan graduates to lead useful, creative, fully realized lives.

Location
The twin cities of Bloomington/Normal, which have a combined population of over 100,000, and are about 130 miles from Chicago, 165 miles from Indianapolis, and 160 miles from St. Louis.

Student Profile
2,103 students, 1201 female, 902 male

Faculty Profile
191 full-time faculty members. 95% of the faculty hold a Ph.D. or appropriate terminal degree. 12-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, average class size is 18, average lab size is 15.

Residence Life
88% of students live on campus, 19 residence halls. Options include traditional large residence halls, smaller houses, a Spanish house, an art house, and an international house.

Athletics

NCAA Division III CCIW Conference; 18 varsity sports teams (9 men's; baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, and track & field; 9 women's; basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, and volleyball)

Activity/Club/Organization Types

175 student organizations including student government, student media, service organizations, and special interest clubs.

Costs and Aid

2004 - 2005 $32,270 comprehensive ($25,980 tuition) Financial Aid: need and merit-based financial aid is available.

Financial Information

Alumni giving rate: 31%; Endowment: $176 million

More Distinctions

· U.S. News and World Report rates IWU a “best buy” that is among the best small, comprehensive colleges and universities in the nation. IWU consistently ranks first in the Midwest.

· Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine ranks IWU 12^th among 1600 private colleges in delivering quality education at an affordable price.

· The Fiske Guide to Colleges called IWU the “…the perfect place for multitalented students to thrive” and listed the school as one of only eleven “Best Buys” for private institutions.

· Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges, the Princeton Review, and Peterson’s Competitive Colleges also rank IWU highly.

· Washington Post education editor Jay Matthews, author of Harvard Schmarvard, listed IWU as a top ten “hidden gem” after surveying hundreds of high school teachers and guidance counselors across the country, asking for colleges that excelled at student-centered teaching.