Founded in 1895, Eastern Illinois University is a public university that was located in Charleston, United States. The institute is a top-ranked public regional institute in the US Education System renowned for offering over 80 bachelor's and master's degrees in fields of education, business, arts, sciences, and humanities.

The institute enrolls more than 6,000 undergraduates across its lush campus spread in the area of 320 acres. It uses an academic calendar based on semesters. Based at approximately 180 miles south of Chicago and about 140 miles northeast of St Louis, Eastern Illinois is based in Charleston. EIU aims to provide quality teaching experience to all of its students with a faculty ratio of 14:1.

With an acceptance rate of nearly 55%, admissions at Eastern Illinois University are moderately competitive and are available in the intakes of Fall and Spring. An impressive employment rate and its students landing some of the high paying jobs in the country within 6 months of graduating makes it a coveted choice for studying in the USA.

Eastern Illinois University Rankings

Eastern Illinois University offers diverse career options in various concentrations. Moreover, the Rankings are worth considering before applying:

  • In the 2023 version of Best Schools, Eastern Illinois University ranking in Midwest Regional Universities was #40.
  • Among US Universities, Eastern Illinois University is ranked #375th by Times Higher Education.
  • Eastern Illinois has been given #5th spot in Top Public Universities in Illinois by Niche.
  • Among Best Professors Universities Eastern Illinois has secured #11th spot among 58 colleges.

Highlights

Type of institution Public
Establishment Year 1895
Location Charleston, Illinois
Campus setting Urban
Total enrollment 7,415
The student to faculty ratio 14:1
Calendar Semester pattern
Acceptance rate 55%
Financial aid Scholarship, grants, and loans
Website www.eiu.edu

Eastern Illinois University Campus and Accommodation

  • Eastern Illinois University is located at 600 Lincoln Ave ,Charleston, Illinois. EIU spread across 320 acres.
  • The university consists of administration building, academic building, department building, Booth library, housing facilities, Arts center, University court and police.
  • Eastern Illinois University houses more than 100 student organizations labeled variedly under Religious, Multicultural, Service, Academic and more titles.
  • Student Support Services at EIU include Building Service Workers, Central Stores, Mail Services, SPC Crew among others.
  • A few main campus events include Homecoming, Family Weekend, Miss Black EIU Beauty Pageant.
  • Students have access to the Booth Library on campus.
  • The institute also has a Student Recreation Center serving more than 2,000 students daily with a fitness centre, six Indoor courts, jogging track, and dance studio.

Housing facilities/Residence

The institute offers housing across 11 residence halls, Greek Court, University Court and University Apartments. Hall council, the National Residence Hall Honorary, or the Residence Hall Association are the organizations that help the housing team and student services staff to reach out for guidance.

Facilities of housing are provided among these below-mentioned halls and places–

  • Andrews hall is a female-only accommodation with laundry services on each floor.
  • Douglas Hall is a housing option for male students only, having 4 floors with common sharing facilities.
  • Stevenson Hall is a 10-story building containing semi-private bathrooms with three-bedroom apartments and a living-room. The building is ideal for students aged 21 years. In single-gender or mixed-gender rooms, both men and women can dwell.
  • University Apartments are fully furnished apartments designed to meet the requirements of students with families and single students.
  • Amenities and services included in housing at EIU are Laundry services, Work Orders, TV channel line-up, Internet access, Movies on Demand, Linens and blankets.

Eastern Illinois University Courses

  • The institute offers a variety of courses for international students including majors and minors in the fields of arts and humanities, business and applied sciences, education and professional studies, and the sciences.
  • EIU has 32 graduate degree programs. Some of the famous programs are arts, biochemistry, biotechnology, business administration, chemistry, communication studies, and cybersecurity.
  • The delivery method has 3 ways; Online, On-campus, and Hybrid.
  • The programs are divided into five departments and are provided across 7 different colleges, namely:
    • College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
    • College of Education
    • College of Health and Human Services
    • Lumpkin College of Business and Technology
    • Graduate School
    • Pine Honors College
    • School of Extending Learning

Eastern Illinois University Application Process

International students who want to seek admissions at the Eastern Illinois University for the various graduate and undergraduate programs can go through the below-mentioned details before applying to the university.

How to apply?

Undergraduate Admissions

Application Portal: Students need to apply via university portal.

Application Fee: No application fee is charged

The undergraduate admission process must be followed as per the following requirements:

  1. A complete application
  2. High School GPA of 2.5 out of 4.0
  3. SAT score of 960 and ACT score of 18 or higher are mandatory for admission at EIU.
  4. English Language Proficiency must be demonstrated through the following:
    1. TOEFL Paper-based: 500 or higher
    2. TOEFL Internet-based: 61 or higher
    3. IELTS: 6.0 or higher on the academic module
    4. MELAB: 69 or higher
  5. In case you don’t fulfill the above criterion slightly, must submit one letter of recommendation and a personal statement.

Graduate Admissions

Application Portal: Online Faculty of Graduate Studies Application Portal

Application Fee: Students can apply for fall 2023 admissions, free of charge for some time.

Prerequisites:

Admissions shall be processed based on the following criteria:

  1. A complete application
  2. An application fee must be paid; USD 30
  3. Official transcripts; bearing seal and signature of the school or institution issuing them.
  4. Official entrance exams score, namely, GMAT, GRE, MAT.
  5. Proof of English Proficiency through:
    1. TOEFL Paper-Based: 550 or higher
    2. TOEFL Internet-Based: 79 or higher
    3. IELTS: 6.5 or higher on the Academic Module
    4. MELAB: 77 or higher
  6. A complete International Student Financial Affidavit Form and a bank statement showing that the applicant is financially supported for the entire study span at EIU.
  7. A copy of the applicant’s passport

Eastern Illinois University Cost of Attendance

The cost of attendance refers to the average value of the overall expense of one year attending a particular school. The distribution of expenses in the form of an estimated budget for international students looking to study in the US is as mentioned below.

Particulars Undergraduate In-state Undergraduate Out-of-state Graduate In-state Graduate Out-of-state
Tuition Fee USD 9,241.20 USD 11,551.50 USD 6,877.86 USD 16,506.82
Fees USD 2,822.02 USD 2,822.02 USD 2,428.02 USD 2,428.02
Text-Book Rental USD 292.50 USD 292.50 USD 214.50 USD 214.50
Room and Board USD 9,864.00 USD 9,864.00 USD 9,864.00 USD 9,864.00
Total USD 22,219.72 USD 24,530.02 USD 19,071.75 USD 28,263.03

Eastern Illinois University Financial Aid/Scholarships

Eastern Illinois University offers scholarships for international students to study in the USA. International candidates can access all scholarships except for those requiring American citizenship.

Here are some of the bursaries available to overseas college students.

  1. International Student Scholarship: The Board of Trustees founded the International Student Scholarship to encourage children from elsewhere to study in EIU. The rewards are fair and aim for cultural diversity and integration. This Scholarship can be awarded on the basis of consideration or both, financial requirement and academic prowess.

For full - time enrolment in on-campus EIU courses the grant covers partial tuition fees. Expenses, field trips, fees, commute, living costs and personal expenditures are not encompassed in this grant. Scholarships are awarded at a time for just 2 semesters.

Application requirements for ISS:

  • Minimum GPA of 3.00 for undergraduate students and 3.50 for graduate students.
  • Financial affidavit to demonstrate the genuine need for support
  • Eulalee L. Anderson Scholarship
    • The Eulalee L. Anderson scheme offers borrowings to current foreign EIU students who are academically strong and active. EIU Emeritus International Adviser, International Students, and Scholars choose the student beneficiary every year in memory of Eulalee L. Anderson, M.S.
    • Around 74% of students were offered scholarships at EIU.
  • Undergraduate International Excellence Award
    • For New Undergraduate international students
    • No scholarship application is needed
    • GPA of 3.50 – 4.00 required to receive a special scholarship rate
    • Students doesn't need to maintain GPA of 3.5 or higher

Work While Study

All International students are permitted to work on campus. International students are allowed to work upto 20 hours per week. Eastern Illinois University has a list of all job opportunities available on campus as well as off campus. There are more job opportunities than present on the list of University websites. Students can contact the department. Students are free to find off campus jobs according to their requirements.

Eastern Illinois University Alumni Network

A few names from EIU who have made their presence known in the world:

  1. Burl Ives ex '31 – Actor/Singer
  2. Jerry Van Dyke ex '55 – Actor/entertainer
  3. Yvette Moyo Gillard '74 – President, Real Men Cook
  4. Barbara McLaughlin '71 – Disney American Teacher Award recipient
  5. Gordon Grado, M.D. '74 – Founder and medical director, Southwest Oncology Centers

Eastern Illinois University Placements

The institute often arranges career fairs and workshops for bridging the gap between students and employers in the real world. Each semester employers visit EIU to interview and select student interns for practical working experience

Upcoming career fair events include the accounting Job fair held on September 23, 2023 (Virtual-mode), Fall Education Job Fair held on November 4, 2023 (Virtual) and also provides campus interviews from various Employers.