Western Illinois University vs Northern Illinois University

Western Illinois University's main campus is located in the rural community of Macomb, Illinois and offers a vibrant collegiate experience for almost 8,000 students.

The main campus sits on 756 acres in DeKalb and includes 64 major buildings. Additional campus sites include, the Lorado Taft Field Campus (144 acres), Rockford Campus (10 acres), and the Naperville Campus (11.2 acres).

The beautifully landscaped campus has more than 60 buildings on more than 1,000 acres, including seven residence halls, a 300-acre farm, and an 18-hole golf course. Macomb is full of that Midwestern charm that's hard to find anywhere else. Take a walk around the downtown square to meet up with friends at the coffee shop or restaurants, visit eclectic shops and boutiques or hit up the Farmer's Market on Thursdays and Saturdays for fresh produce or homemade desserts. Go West Transit provides students with fare-free, convenient transportation from and around campus and with service to the entire Macomb community. The community and University are closely integrated and work together to create a safe environment for everyone to learn and grow. Residence hall facilities provide nearly 4,000 students with living and dining services. All residence halls are smoke-free and rooms are wired for LAN and wireless internet. Many off-campus housing possibilities, including fraternities and sororities, are open to upper-division students. The Macomb campus is home to 17 NCAA Division I sports, while Campus Recreation offers a variety of fitness opportunities, intramural sports programs and club sports. Other opportunities for student involvement include leadership development, volunteer services, student programming, Student Government Association, fraternities and sororities, and over 250 student organizations. The Union is the community center of the Macomb campus and provides a variety of meeting and dining facilities. Union services include a food court, meeting/banquet rooms, ballrooms, a bookstore, guest rooms, computer stations, a small theatre, a convenience store and more.

The Holmes Student Center houses several lounges, computer labs, restaurants, and the University Bookstore. It is home to the Huskies Den, which features bowling, billiards, a video arcade and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One gaming. The Holmes Student Center also houses a 78-room hotel. The lower level of the Holmes Student Center reopened after renovations were completed in January 2020. The renovations include a convenience store, the University Bookstore, a Starbucks, the Huskie Den Grill, bowling & billiards, and a wealth of seating. NIU's residence halls (including two complexes with four 12-story towers each) provide several living options to on-campus students. On the west side of campus is Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium, the home of NIU football games, which also often hosts other outdoor events. Huskie Stadium, which has a seating capacity over 30,000, is surrounded by large open grassy areas which provide recreation, and also serve as the tailgating lots for football games. There is also a baseball field, Ralph McKinzie Field; a softball field, Mary M. Bell Field; a soccer field, Huskie Soccer Complex; and tennis courts, Gullikson Tennis Courts, which flank Huskie Stadium. The Student Recreation Center is the main facility for Recreation Services. The building, serving approximately 2,000 patrons daily, features services to meet students' recreation, fitness and wellness needs. NIU has more than 400 student organizations, including recreational sports clubs such as lacrosse, volleyball, rugby, swimming, and ice hockey. Groups embrace interests from academics, advocacy, athletics and the arts to community service, ethnicity, politics, language studies, and religion.

Darwin Gale Schisler, Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives for Illinois's 19th congressional district from 1965 to 1967.

Robert Nardelli – former chairman and chief executive officer of Chrysler, former president and CEO of Home Depot
Jeremy Schoemaker – internet entrepreneur

Michael Boatman – actor and author
Mark Konkol – 2011 Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist 

Jerry M. Anderson, 9th President of Ball State University
Gregg Andrews, labor historian and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Texas State University
Judith Curry, climatologis

Brian Godawa, screenwriter and author
Steve Harris, actor, Emmy Award nominee, The Practice
Wood Harris, actor, Remember the Titans and The Wire