History, Affiliations and Rankings

The Illinois State Legislature founded Eastern Illinois Normal School in 1895 to "educate teachers for the schools of East-Central Illinois." The university is a combination of different buildings like Old Main, Illinois State University's Cook Hall, Blair Hall, Booth Library and Doudna Fine Arts Center. The school's name was altered numerous times to reflect its transformation from a teacher's college to a multi-purpose institution that could serve Illinois in a broader capacity. Eastern Illinois State Normal School was renamed Eastern Illinois State Teachers College in 1921, and Eastern Illinois State College was founded in 1947. Finally, in 1957 it was renamed as Eastern Illinois University by the Illinois General Assembly. Eastern Illinois University is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools' Higher Learning Commission and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparedness (CAEP). In sports, it is affiliated with NCAA Division I FCS - Ohio Valley Conference. In the Midwest Regional Universities Rankings, Eastern Illinois University is rated #54. Times Higher Education ranked it in the bracket #401-500th in US Colleges Rankings 2022. 

Infrastructure, Campuses, Courses

EIU is located in Charleston, Illinois, about 180 miles south of Chicago and 140 miles northeast of St. Louis. The campus size is 320 acres. The University is built in the Gothic style of architecture. Old Main, the oldest structure on campus, is shown in the university logo. It was created in the manner of a medieval castle, with turrets and a rampart-like roof, by architect George H Miller. It first opened its doors in 1899. Arts and Humanities, Business and Applied Sciences, Education and Professional Studies, and Science are the university's four colleges. There are  51 undergraduate degree programs; 32 graduate degree programs and 10 post-baccalaureate certificate programs. Some of the popular courses are Business, Management, Marketing, Health Professions, Education, Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities; Psychology; Social Sciences; Biological and Biomedical Sciences.

Accomplishments and Alumni

EIU is ranked #5 among the Midwest's top public regional institutions by U.S. News and World Report (9/2015). Eastern was also placed 30th out of all Midwestern regional institutions with a full variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. On the list, EIU is the top-ranked public university in Illinois. EIU has been designated as a Military Friendly School by GI Jobs Magazine every year since the inception of the award in 2010. In the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), EIU has the most Medal of Honor recipients and Commissioner's Honor Roll winners. EIU provides a number of cheap nursing degrees and is known for having one of Illinois' most affordable nursing schools in 2021. Intelligent.com ranks EIU in Two Top Categories - Best Master's in History and Best Masters in Music. Some of the notable alumni are John Malkovich (American actor), Matt Hughes (Mixed Martial Artist with a background in wrestling), Alfonzo McKinnie (American Professional Basketball Player), Mary E. Miller (Farmer and Politician serving as the U.S. representative from Illinois's 15th congressional district), Jack Dadam (Retired co-CEO, Red Bull), etc.

Student Diversity and Visiting Companies

Within a student-centered campus culture, the University community is devoted to diversity and inclusion and supports opportunities for student-faculty scholarship and practical learning experiences. Eastern Illinois University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,969 students as of Fall 2020, with 41% male students and 59% female students. There are 4.3% % of international students. More than 100 student groups at Eastern Illinois University are classified as Religious, Multicultural, Service, Academic, and other categories. The University's dynamic and varied campus provides lots of opportunities for students to interact with their classmates. Top organizations that visit Eastern Illinois University are Cognizant, Nestle Waters, Gartner, Robert Half, Unilever,  etc.