Illinois Wesleyan University Admission
Illinois Wesleyan University Undergraduate Program
Illinois Wesleyan University Application

The Facts

Illinois Wesleyan University is a moderately sized, private university located in the town of Bloomington, Illinois. The university is home to over 2,100 undergraduate students, and is perhaps best known for its intimate atmosphere and the fantastic student/teacher relationships. The university is divided up into several smaller undergraduate colleges. including schools of liberal arts, fine arts, and nursing. The undergraduate colleges offer students over 50 majors in a variety of disciplines from visual arts to pre-med; some of the most popular majors include business administration, biology, psychology, English, and music.

Admission to Illinois Wesleyan University is growing increasingly more competitive with each passing semester. Last year, over 3,330 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 1,430 of those students were accepted; of those, about 580 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1180 to 1380, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 26 to 31. Additionally, over 84% of the admitted students were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class, with an average high school GPA of about 3.6.

IWU has a very manageable 12:1 student to faculty ratio, and students usually rave about the generosity and accessibility of their professors. Most of the classes, including the core curriculum, are held in small discussion form, and it is rare to find a class with more than 20 students. In fact, part of the core curriculum includes a “Gateway Colloquium,” in which students concentrate on writing, class discussions, and intellectual discourse. An interesting note--the school has a unique May Term, in which many students take part in various internship and independent study projects.

The Social Scene

The town of Bloomington doesn't really offer students much in the way of entertainment; however, most students own cars, and the cities of Chicago and St. Louis are about equidistant from Bloomington, and are popular weekend destinations for many students. If you don't have a car, we hear that it's pretty easy to hitch a ride. The IWU campus itself is a nice size, and is set up in a way that makes it very easy to get from class to class.

There are a large number of fraternities and sororities at the school, and the Greeks definitely govern the on-campus social scene. The frats in particular throw some pretty rowdy parties that are extremely popular with students, and provide a great way to escape from the week's hardships.

The dating scene is pretty great, if you look in the right place. The students are friendly, and eager to please.

What’s Good

“People here are really friendly, and make sure you feel comfortable as a new student.”

“The professors are great, and make sure that you are doing all right in your classes.”

“There are some terrific study abroad programs at the college, and it's a great way to see the world and learn at the same time.”

What’s Bad

“There is nothing to do in Bloomington, and you really have to dig hard to find your own fun.”

“People are really conservative here, and it can be hard to get people to listen to your more liberal opinions.”

“The core curriculum is kind of silly; it's a lot of what we did in high school English class.”

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