Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois · Also known as EIU|E.I.U.|Eastern Illinois · Website
$51,989
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$51,989
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Eastern Illinois University is a public 4-year college in Charleston, Illinois with 4,188 undergraduates and 1,720 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $12,786 a year (tuition and fees $13,679 in-state, $16,217 out-of-state). It admits 65% of applicants and 47% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $51,989 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $21,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$12,786
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$13,679
Out-of-state $16,217
Admission rate
65%
US median 78%
Completion rate
47%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$21,500
About $228 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$51,989
Rank 1,320 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $12,786
- Tuition in-state
- $13,679
- Tuition out-of-state
- $16,217
- Cost of attendance
- $26,996
- Students with a need-based grant
- 29%
- Students with federal loans
- 31%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $9,828
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $8,619
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $11,412
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $15,665
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $21,027
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $11,312 in 2015-16 to $13,679 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 65%
- Average SAT
- 1,000
- SAT reading, middle
- 520
- SAT math, middle
- 500
- ACT, middle
- 20
- Undergraduates
- 4,188
- Graduate students
- 1,720
- Part-time students
- 11%
- Women
- 60%
- Students per teacher
- 14
- Completion rate
- 47%
- Retention rate
- 72%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 99
- Endowment
- $73.3M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,320 of 5,094 US colleges and 57 of 189 in Illinois (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IL median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $12,786 | $15,156 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $13,679 | $13,291 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 65% | 77% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 47% | 59% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 72% | 72% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $21,500 | $10,297 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $42,694 | $34,234 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $51,989 | $39,544 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 58% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 72% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
99 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansMaster's | Master's | 354 | Withheld | $49,342 | $76,047 | $89,051 |
| Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, OtherGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 347 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 105 | $19,712 | $35,740 | $49,478 | $50,706 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 88 | $21,000 | $41,582 | $43,190 | $47,382 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 87 | $18,750 | $40,273 | $52,078 | $53,072 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 73 | $22,165 | $34,511 | $50,502 | $54,562 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionMaster's | Master's | 68 | $17,123 | $67,396 | $72,758 | $71,685 |
| Curriculum and InstructionMaster's | Master's | 62 | Withheld | $49,117 | Withheld | $63,399 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 54 | $22,500 | $31,278 | $53,725 | $57,214 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 49 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $88,910 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsMaster's | Master's | 48 | $14,627 | $55,569 | $58,301 | $49,079 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 45 | Withheld | $40,489 | Withheld | $55,378 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 42 | $16,348 | $50,862 | $54,791 | $55,693 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 41 | $25,546 | $64,062 | $95,880 | $103,485 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 38 | $23,725 | $26,213 | $39,923 | $41,367 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesMaster's | Master's | 35 | $39,565 | $59,451 | $61,989 | $67,030 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 33 | $23,676 | $37,778 | $57,887 | $56,359 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 33 | $24,348 | $31,933 | $47,222 | $48,590 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 31 | $24,000 | $42,500 | $60,985 | $86,176 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 30 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,497 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 30 | $27,000 | $38,821 | $54,548 | $51,389 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel ServicesMaster's | Master's | 29 | $26,269 | $45,390 | $51,527 | $60,111 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 28 | $22,625 | $46,844 | $62,994 | $69,303 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 27 | $15,478 | $51,370 | $70,704 | $83,343 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 26 | $19,043 | $49,757 | $56,435 | $60,397 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Charleston and Illinois on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Illinois
- Homes: Homes for sale in Illinois
Questions and answers
How much does Eastern Illinois University cost?
$12,786 a year is the average net price at Eastern Illinois University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $13,679 for in-state students and $16,217 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $26,996. Families earning under $30,000 pay $9,828 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Eastern Illinois University?
65% of applicants are admitted to Eastern Illinois University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,000 and the middle ACT score is 20. The median admission rate of colleges in Illinois is 77%.
How much do Eastern Illinois University graduates earn?
$51,989 a year is the median pay of former Eastern Illinois University students who work, 10 years after they started ($42,694 after 6 years). That ranks 1,320 of 5,094 US colleges and 57 of 189 in Illinois. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's) at $67,396.
How much student debt do Eastern Illinois University graduates have?
$21,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Eastern Illinois University graduates, about $228 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 31% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Eastern Illinois University?
47% of first-time, full-time students at Eastern Illinois University finish within 6 years. 72% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Eastern Illinois University?
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (354 master's graduates), Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other (347 graduate certificate graduates), Psychology, General (105 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 99 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.