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Eureka College
Eureka, ILprivate nonprofitwww.eureka.edu/
Acceptance
85%
Avg net price
$17,349
Earnings (10 yr)
$51,641
Graduation rate
42%
Admit rate has ranged 61%–88% over the last 5 years — notably volatile. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Eureka College is a tiny, unselective liberal arts school in rural Illinois with a tight-knit community and a surprising claim to fame: it's Ronald Reagan's alma mater. While its 41% graduation rate and limited STEM opportunities raise eyebrows, its career outcomes rate (96% for 2017-2018 grads) and hands-on approach to leadership development give it a scrappy appeal for students seeking personal attention.
Admission requirements
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Required
- High school transcript
- Grade point average
- TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
- Letters of recommendation
- Test scores (SAT/ACT)
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
- Undergrad enrollment
- 522
- In-state tuition
- $29,096
- Out-of-state tuition
- $29,096
- Location
- Eureka, IL
- Notable Alum
- Ronald Reagan ('32)
- Acceptance Rate
- 85-88%
- 6-Year Grad Rate
- 41%
- Career Outcomes Rate
- 96% (2017-2018)
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
- Median earnings (10 yr)
- $51,641
- Value (earnings ÷ net price)
- 3.0×
- Median debt at graduation
- $23,250
- Graduation rate
- 42%
- First-year retention
- 50%
- Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
- 67%
- Pell (lower-income) share
- 54%
- First-generation share
- 34%
- Endowment / student
- $69,667
Financial health
1.5 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
- Business Administration, Management and Operations$35,274
- Criminal Justice and Corrections$35,060
- Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$31,423
- History$30,173
- Communication and Media Studies$29,685
- Psychology, General
Campus & location
Campus safety
- On-campus violent crimes (2024)
- 0
- Per 1,000 students
- 0.00
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
- Pleasant days / yr
- 90
- Summer high
- 83°F
- Winter low
- 22°F
- Annual rain
- 40.3"
- Annual snow
- 24.6"
- Natural-hazard risk
- Very Low
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility
Research output
- Institutional h-index
- 41
- Scholarly works
- 513
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Economic mobility
- Mobility rate
- 1.8%
- Bottom → top quintile
- 19%
- From bottom quintile
- 9%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Quick answers
- What is the acceptance rate at Eureka College?
- Eureka College's acceptance rate is approximately 85% (Eureka, IL), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
- How much does Eureka College cost?
- At Eureka College, the average net price (after aid) is about $17,349 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
- How many undergraduates attend Eureka College?
- Eureka College enrolls approximately 522 undergraduate students.
- Where is Eureka College located?
- Eureka College is located in Eureka, IL.
Admissions
Eureka College is about as far from cutthroat as admissions get: with an 85-88% acceptance rate, it's firmly in the 'minimally difficult' category ([CollegeData](https://www.collegedata.com/college-search/Eureka-College), [PrepScholar](https://www.prepscholar.com/sat/s/colleges/Eureka-College-sat-scores-GPA)). The middle 50% of admitted students have ACT scores between 16-23 or SAT scores between 880-1160 ([Niche](https://www.niche.com/colleges/eureka-college/admissions/), [CollegeRaptor](https://www.collegeraptor.com/colleges/admissions/Eureka-College-IL--144971)). Only about 16% of admitted students enroll ([Data USA](https://datausa.io/profile/university/eureka-college)), suggesting many treat it as a safety school.
Academics
With 32 majors and 21 minors, Eureka leans heavily into business (20% of students), criminal justice (13%), and psychology (12%) ([U.S. News](https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/eureka-college-1678/academics), [Niche](https://www.niche.com/colleges/eureka-college/majors/)). The college promotes its 'balance' of liberal arts and pre-professional programs ([Eureka.edu](https://www.eureka.edu/academics/find-your-major)), but alumni warn that —one biology grad noted limited resources in a Facebook post ([Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/groups/914136503755268/posts/1499536161881963/)). The small size (under 1,000 students total) means close faculty interaction, with an honors program and 13 pre-professional tracks ([RLP](https://rlp.eureka.edu/learn-more-about-eureka-colleges-academic-programs/)).
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