,·Private (Christian Church / Disciples of Christ)·Est. 1855
“The small Illinois liberal arts college that shaped Ronald Reagan and pioneered coeducation in 1855.”
Eureka College is a small private liberal arts college affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), tucked into the village of Eureka in central Illinois (population ~5,000), about 20 miles east of Peoria. Founded in 1855 by abolitionists who had left Kentucky in opposition to slavery, Eureka was the first college in Illinois and the third in the United States to admit men and women on fully equal terms — a founding identity the campus still references through its Founders Convocation, Ivy Ceremony, and the historic Recruiting Elm. The college is most widely known as the alma mater of President Ronald Reagan, who graduated in 1932 with a degree in Economics and Sociology and famously said, 'Everything that's been good in my life began here.' Campus is home to the Ronald Reagan Museum and Peace Garden inside the Cerf Center, a Reagan statue, and the Ronald W. Reagan Leadership Program — the only leadership program established by a sitting U.S. president at his alma mater. Each year, six incoming Reagan Fellows receive full-tuition scholarships, paid international mentorships, and a fully funded study-abroad trip. With roughly 527 students, a 15:1 student-faculty ratio, and 33 undergraduate majors, Eureka offers a residential, close-knit experience: nearly all students live on campus, almost all receive institutional aid, and the academic core (the '10 Essentials' liberal-arts curriculum) is built around small seminar-style classes. Strengths cluster in pre-professional tracks — nursing, business, criminal justice, education, psychology — paired with a Disciples-of-Christ tradition of service, leadership, and inquiry.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceRolling Admission
Eureka uses rolling admission — applications reviewed as received. No hard EA/RD round.
Uniquely Eureka Promise priority
For tuition-free promise eligibility, application + FAFSA recommended by April 1.
Reagan Leadership Program competition
Reagan Fellow scholarship competition date for incoming first-years.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$28,839
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
Houses Eureka's largest pre-professional cluster, including the popular Business Administration, Criminal Justice & Sociology, Elementary/Special Education, Psychology, and Sports Management majors. Faculty emphasize internships across central Illinois and the Reagan Leadership mentorship pipeline.
Offers Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Computer Science, Kinesiology, and the BSN in Nursing — a growing flagship for the college. Strong pre-professional advising for pre-med, pre-pharmacy, pre-PT, and clinical laboratory science.
Reflects Eureka's Disciples-of-Christ liberal-arts roots through English, History & Political Science, Philosophy & Religion, Music, Music Education, and Art & Design. Faculty integrate Reagan-era political history and faith-and-leadership themes.
A signature cross-disciplinary program founded by President Reagan in 1982 — the only leadership program established by a sitting U.S. president at his alma mater. Reagan Fellows receive full-tuition scholarships, two paid mentorships, and fully funded international travel (recent destinations: Dublin, Madrid, Stockholm).
Faith-based leadership track for students engaged with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), pairing theological reflection with congregational and community-leadership formation.
4 years
Full-tuition four-year fellowship plus paid summer mentorship anywhere in the world and a fully funded group international trip. Open to any major; six Reagan Fellows admitted per incoming class. The only program of its kind founded by a sitting U.S. president at his own alma mater.
4 years
Eureka's fastest-growing pre-professional program, offering small clinical cohorts and partnerships with central-Illinois hospitals. Designed for students seeking a values-driven, liberal-arts-grounded path into healthcare.
4 years
Dual-licensure program preparing graduates to teach both general elementary and special-needs classrooms — highly placeable in Illinois K-12 districts and one of Eureka's distinctive education tracks.
4 years
Pre-professional pathway pairing a Eureka psychology bachelor's with structured pipelines into OT graduate programs, leveraging the college's small-cohort advising model.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $29,096
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
