Central Michigan vs Illinois State
What each college publishes, side by side. Cost, admission, graduation, earnings and debt come from federal data.
BCompass Score: Good (grade B): below the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges.Central Michigan UniversityMount Pleasant, MICompass Score: GoodBCompass Score: Good (grade B): below the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges.Illinois State UniversityNormal, ILCompass Score: Good · Top 38%
At a glance
- Illinois State has the higher graduation rate: 65% against 59% at Central Michigan.
- For families earning $48,001 to $75,000, Central Michigan has the lower price after aid: $13,601 a year, against $16,348 at Illinois State.
- Median earnings ten years after entry are higher at Illinois State: $62,117, against $55,874 at Central Michigan.
Scores
Compass Score
BCompass Score: Good (grade B): below the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges.
BCompass Score: Good (grade B): below the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges. Top 38%
Academic Excellence
BAcademic Excellence: Good (grade B): below the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges. Top 45%
BAcademic Excellence: Good (grade B): below the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges. Top 40%
Value
BValue: Good (grade B): below the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges. Top 47%
B+Value: Very good (grade B+): the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges. Top 26%
The college
Category
National universities
National universities
Location
Mount Pleasant, MI
Normal, IL
Setting
Town
Suburb
Students
14,399
20,989
Sports
NCAA Division I · Mid-American Conference
NCAA Division I · Missouri Valley Conference
Admission
Admission rate
90%
88%
Average SAT
1091
1113
ACT middle 50%
21–27
21–27
Outcomes
Graduation rate
59%
65%
First-year retention
75%
81%
Median earnings 10 years after entry
$55,874
$62,117
Median debt
$27,000
$20,482
Cost
Average price after aid
$17,597
$19,398
Price after aid, by family income
Up to $30,000
$12,185
$11,568
$30,001–$48,000
$12,139
$12,301
$48,001–$75,000
$13,601
$16,348
$75,001–$110,000
$16,269
$23,865
Over $110,000
$21,403
$28,224
Top majors by graduate earnings
Bachelor's majors
- Management information systems $95,721
- Electrical engineering $91,542
- Computer science $89,216
- Construction Engineering Technology/Technician $86,839
- Mechanical engineering technology $86,472
- Computer science $111,099
- Computing and information science $98,382
- Management information systems $95,120
- Insurance $94,124
- Construction Management $91,017
Compare with another college
The Compass Score and grades are College Compass Guide’s own ratings. Cost, admission, graduation, earnings and debt are federal data. This comparison doesn’t rank the two colleges; the figures are shown as published.