Eastern Illinois University

Eastern Illinois University is a public institution that was founded in 1895. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,916 (fall 2022), and the campus size is 320 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Eastern Illinois University's ranking in the 2024 edition of Best Colleges is Regional Universities Midwest, #60. Its in-state tuition and fees are $13,101; out-of-state tuition and fees are $15,528.

Eastern Illinois University (EIU) is located in the city of Charleston, about 180 miles south of Chicago and about 140 miles northeast of St. Louis. Undergraduates can choose from many majors in the fields of arts and humanities, business and applied sciences, education and professional studies, and the sciences. The university also offers more than 25 master’s degree programs, including those in the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences and the Department of Communication Disorders & Sciences.

Outside the classroom, students at EIU can get involved in more than 200 clubs, dozens of fraternities and sororities, and student government. Each year, EIU hosts several events for students, such as Family Weekend in the fall with a concert and a football game, and the Miss Black EIU Scholarship Pageant during African American Heritage Month. Student athletes can play at the intramural level or try out for one of the many EIU Panthers varsity teams, which compete in the NCAA Division I Ohio Valley Conference. Notable Eastern Illinois alumni include John Malkovich, who starred in the movies Con Air and Being John Malkovich, and Tony Romo, quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys professional football team.