by our College Data Analytics TeamThe majority of students are not billed the complete price tag of a school. Rather, they are presented a financial aid deal that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The total price of attendance at Western Illinois University can feel tremendous, but do not forget that almost all students receive some sort of financial help.
What financing options does WIU offer, and what will you qualify for? Keep scrolling for more information. Read on to learn what amount of financial assistance will be accessible to you.
Eligibility for aid and scholarships is driven mostly by your household’s income and need. Use the information below to understand how much financial assistance you may get from Western Illinois University.
Through a mix of loans, grants, work-study and scholarships, schools bring down the effective cost so more students can attend. However, some types of aid are more desirable than others, and some students will receive more than others.
Looking at the entering class at Western Illinois University, 55% of the incoming full-time class was awarded financial aid (about 521 first-years).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 53% | $14,994 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 53% | $7,553 |
| Federal Pell grants | 26% | $5,849 |
| State/local grants | 29% | $8,346 |
| Federal student loans | 26% | $6,244 |
Because grants and scholarships do not have to be repaid, they are the most sought-after type of financial aid. At this school, some 62% of undergraduates were awarded grant or scholarship aid averaging $12,943 (across roughly 3110 recipients).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 62% | $12,943 |
| Federal Pell grants | 28% | $5,772 |
| Federal student loans | 32% | $8,305 |
For students living on campus and receiving title-IV aid, grants averaged $15,317.
Need-based aid means lower-income families typically pay far less than the sticker price suggests.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $7,147 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $9,236 |
| Over $75,000 | $17,189 |
The numbers above are post-aid net prices, so they already account for grants and scholarships.
After grants and scholarships come off the published price, what remains is the net price — the best estimate of true out-of-pocket cost.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $12,937 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $11,592 |
For a customized cost estimate, visit WIU’s net price calculator: www.wiu.edu/student_success/financial_aid/netPriceCalculator.php.
A typical borrower at WIU leaves with $19,762 in federal loans.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $19,762 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $25,251 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $267.7/mo |
The 10-year payment estimate assumes a standard federal repayment plan and the median graduate debt amount.
Looking only at the median can be misleading because it hides the spread. These percentiles trace how cumulative federal debt is spread among borrowers at WIU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,750 |
| 25th percentile | $8,785 |
| 75th percentile | $28,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $40,000 |
The figures below break down median federal debt by income tier, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $23,496 |
| Middle income | $20,350 |
| High income | $17,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $20,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,054 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,500 |
| Independent students | $22,084 |
The figure below distills the debt data into a single burden category for WIU.
The Stafford program is the federal direct-loan vehicle most undergraduates use. The annual Stafford volume below reflects program activity at WIU:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 39358 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $828,580,732 |
The GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the main federal aid routes for veterans and service members.
Post-9/11 GI Bill activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 106 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $629,503 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $5,939 |
DoD Tuition Assistance activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 30 |
| Total DoD amount | $38,593 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $1,286 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.