Western Illinois University

What Western Illinois University does

Western Illinois University is a public state university governed by the State of Illinois, founded in 1899 and headquartered at 1 University Circle in Macomb, Illinois. It operates a traditional residential campus in Macomb and a non-residential metropolitan branch campus in Moline (Quad Cities), serving roughly 6,300 students through 100+ undergraduate and graduate academic programs spanning liberal arts, sciences, business, education, fine arts, nursing, and professional studies. The university supports its academic mission with a portfolio of integrated service lines including NCAA Division I athletics (Leathernecks), university libraries, the Beu Health Center, the Veterans Resource Center, the Parents and Family Association, the Leatherneck Club athletic donor program, University Television production services, and a University Printing & Mailing Center.

The underlying technology stack is conventional higher-ed infrastructure: WesternOnline for learning management, STARS for student records, WIUP for administrative systems, Ellucian Colleague Self Service, Zoom for communications, and University Television (UTV) operating WIU3 and the City of Macomb Channel 15. There is no disclosed proprietary AI, API, or platform layer. The revenue model combines tuition and fees (with in-state tuition rates extended to all 50 U.S. states and a $26M annual scholarship/award pool), mandatory student health insurance at $1,075 per semester, athletics donor memberships (Leatherneck Club tiers from $50 to $10,000+), Parents and Family Association memberships at $25/year, and trademark licensing royalties through approximately 200 licensee companies administered by Collegiate Licensing Company.

Customer segments are horizontal and distributed: prospective undergraduate and graduate students (primary), veterans and military personnel, parents and families, international students, and regional employers in Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, and Wisconsin reached through the April 2026 Corn Belt Ports Rural Logistics & Maritime Training & Education Consortium. Distribution is via direct enrollment (wiu.edu/apply), the two physical campuses, and the WesternOnline online platform, supported by a broad social media presence, news releases, the Campus Connection email newsletter, events, and athletics marketing. The university is facing material headwinds: a 20.6% enrollment decline since 2017 triggered 2024 layoffs of all nine faculty librarians and 124 other faculty and staff, and a May 2026 arbitrator ruling found those layoffs procedurally improper and ordered reinstatement and back pay.

Name

Western Illinois University

Legal name

Western Illinois University

Website

https://wiu.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1899

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Western Illinois University is a public state university serving roughly 6,300 students across residential Macomb, metropolitan Quad Cities, and online campuses, offering 100+ academic programs plus NCAA Division I athletics, veterans services, and auxiliary programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Urban/Metropolitan Public Research Universities (EDAHAAAH)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate degree programs
• Online learning programs
• Public university education

Headquarters

HQ city

Macomb

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate tuition, including in-state tuition rates for all 50 states and various fee structures
2. Student Health Insurance: Mandatory student health insurance program at $1,075 per semester providing coverage for students taking 9+ credit hours
3. Athletic Donations (Leatherneck Club): Annual funding organization providing support for student-athletes through donations, with membership tiers ranging from $50 to $10,000+
4. Parents and Family Association Membership: PFA Gold membership at $25/year offering enhanced benefits including newsletters, scholarship opportunities, and Union Hotel reservations
5. Trademark Licensing: Licensing program with approximately 200 companies licensed to produce WIU merchandise, administered through Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Western Illinois University is a public state university that provides undergraduate and graduate degree programs across multiple academic colleges. It delivers instruction through on-campus learning at its Macomb and Quad Cities locations, complemented by online course offerings. [Inferred from public knowledge of the institution; no direct source ID available in the input.]

Product overview

Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public regional university operating as a single institutional product with multiple integrated service lines. The university serves more than 6,300 students at its residential Macomb campus and non-residential Quad Cities campus in Moline, Illinois, along with online programs. Core offerings include 100+ undergraduate and graduate academic programs across multiple colleges, NCAA Division I athletics (Leathernecks), university libraries, Beu Health Center, Veterans Resource Center, Parents and Family Association, the Leatherneck Club athletic donor organization, University Television production services, and University Printing & Mailing Center. These components work together as part of WIU's comprehensive educational ecosystem serving students from enrollment through graduation and alumni engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Leathernecks: Athletic nickname and mascot for Western Illinois University sports teams
• Rocky

Quantifiable outcome

• 20.6% enrollment decline since 2017 leading to cost-cutting measures including layoffs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Corn Belt PortscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026Corn Belt Ports has partnered with WIU and nine other higher education institutions to establish the Corn Belt Ports Rural Logistics & Maritime Training & Education Consortium. The consortium aims to advance maritime and logistics workforce development across Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, and Wisconsin. It collaborates with We Work the Waterways and other industry partners to align educational programs with employer needs, offering certifications in welding, electrician, and maintenance fields supporting the maritime industry. The initiative coincides with federal efforts to strengthen the nation's maritime workforce infrastructure.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ball State University: Public regional comprehensive university in Indiana with comparable enrollment, NCAA Division I athletics, and similar tuition-driven operating model; faces parallel enrollment and demographic pressures.
• Morehead State University: Public regional comprehensive university with comparable enrollment size, NCAA Division I athletics, and similar rural service-area demographic profile and tuition dependency.
• Indiana State University: Public regional university in Indiana with similar NCAA Division I footprint, comparable enrollment scale, and overlapping competition for in-region and out-of-region students.
• Missouri State University: Public regional comprehensive university with similar enrollment profile and NCAA Division I athletics; operates in an adjacent Midwest market facing parallel demographic and appropriations dynamics.
• Southeast Missouri State University: Public regional university in Missouri with similar enrollment scale, NCAA Division I athletics, and comparable tuition-driven revenue model facing parallel enrollment challenges.
• Illinois State University: Public Illinois university of comparable scale offering 100+ programs, NCAA Division I athletics, and similar tuition-driven operating model; directly competes for in-state applicants in the same regional market.
• Northern Illinois University: Illinois public regional university with multi-campus operations, NCAA Division I athletics, and similar tuition-driven model; comparable enrollment size and tuition pricing structure to WIU.
• University of Northern Iowa: Public regional comprehensive university in Iowa with comparable enrollment size, NCAA Division I athletics, and similar tuition model serving a comparable rural Midwest demographic.
• Eastern Illinois University: Public regional comprehensive university in Illinois with similar enrollment scale, NCAA Division I athletics, and a comparable mix of in-state and out-of-state students facing the same demographic and appropriations headwinds as WIU.

Broad incumbents

• Southern Illinois University: Larger Illinois public university system with broader program portfolio and multi-campus structure; operates in the same state funding and competitive market as WIU but at greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WesternILUniv
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/WesternIllinoisU
• Facebookfacebook.com/10274793956
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/western-illinois-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/westerniluniv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Western Illinois University