If you talk to faculty students, alumni, and staff of Eastern Illinois University, before long you’ll start to notice a common theme: family. When you attend or work at Eastern, you’re doing more than just going to classes or showing up to a job. You become part of a family that supports each other, in good times and bad.

Panther Pride doesn’t just have to do with athletics or wearing a blue shirt; it has to do with supporting each other – academically, personally, spiritually and sometimes even financially. Our impact can be local or global, but there is no doubt we have reason to be proud of being in this family that has produced some of the most impressive thinkers, workers and leaders the state of Illinois has ever seen.

Strong Academics

• In U.S. News and World Report’s college rankings, EIU is No. 6 among the Midwest’s top public regional universities. EIU is the highest-ranking public university in Illinois on the list.
• 98 percent of our classes are taught by faculty, not teaching assistants.
• EIU is the home of the 2013 & 2011 Illinois Professor of the Year.
• Our study abroad program is ranked one of the 50 best programs in America by Best College Reviews.
• EIU’s retention rate, which reflects the percentage of new freshmen who return to EIU for a second year, is 7 percentage points higher than the national average.