Western Illinois enrollment down 67% since 2006 as university touts ‘continued momentum’
Western Illinois University (WIU) in Macomb reported 4,447 students for fall 2026, a decline of roughly 67 percent from the 13,602 students enrolled in 2006. The university, however, highlighted improved student retention and described its enrollment trends as showing “continued momentum.”
Total enrollment declined by 890 students from the 5,337 students reported last fall, continuing a broader enrollment decline the university has experienced over the past two decades.
WIU has made changes to its academic programs amid enrollment and financial pressures. In 2019, the university eliminated nine academic programs, and geography and public health studies at the undergraduate level.
The university has also reduced faculty and staff positions amid enrollment and financial pressures. WIU said it began implementing layoffs in summer 2024 and that 57 faculty positions and 32 staff positions had been or would be eliminated by the end of fiscal year 2025.
In WIU’s Continuous Improvement Report for 2019, the university acknowledged that Illinois is the second-largest state in terms of being a “net exporter of students.” The report stated that WIU and other public universities in the state are in “competition” with universities in neighboring states for students.
By comparison, Eastern Illinois University enrollment dropped from 8,107 in 2025 to 7,651 students in 2026.
Illinois State University reported 21,577 students this year, down from 21,994 the previous year. The university previously reported 2.1 percent enrollment growth in 2025 and an increase in student retention in 2026.
WIU reported an increase in freshman retention and application rates, as well as a 13 percent growth among high school applicants with a 3.0 GPA or higher. The university also added the Strategic Recruitment Plan (SRP) to provide a “coordinated framework to strengthen enrollment efforts.”
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