Millikin University

Private · Moderately Selective · IL

Photo: Unknown author (Public Domain)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationIL · Midwest

SettingUrban

Undergrads1,382

Student:faculty10:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate46.6%

6-yr grad rate54.9%

Drop-out rate25%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$27k

Out-of-state tuition$27k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity33.1%

Gender diversity53.6%

International2.9%

Identity—

Overview

Millikin University is a private university in Decatur, Illinois, organized around what it calls "performance learning" — a curricular philosophy that pushes students into real, consequential practice rather than only classroom simulation. Business students help run actual student-operated ventures, theatre and music students stage full public productions, and students across majors are expected to perform, present, or produce tangible work well before graduation rather than saving application for a late capstone.

Academics

Music, theatre, and nursing are signature programs, each with strong performance or clinical components built directly into coursework. The Center for Entrepreneurship gives business students hands-on management experience with real financial stakes, an unusual level of practical exposure at the undergraduate level. Class sizes are small across the university, keeping faculty contact close in the practice-heavy majors especially.

Campus & student life

The Decatur campus is compact and residential, and performance culture — literal performances in the arts, and the applied "performance learning" mindset elsewhere — pervades campus life beyond just the theatre and music departments.

Getting in

Admission is holistic, and arts applicants typically audition or submit a portfolio, a track distinct from the general academic admissions process.

After graduation

Music and theatre graduates move into performance, education, and arts administration; nursing and business graduates find steady regional and Midwest placement, often aided by the hands-on projects already on their resumes at graduation.

millikin.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate66.7%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 860–1130 · ACT 18–25

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying