The institution's board of trustees took formal action to invite black students to enroll at Illinois Wesleyan in 1867 and women in 1870.

In November 2021, the American Association of University Professors sanctioned Illinois Wesleyan for violating standards of academic governance when it discontinued the anthropology, French, Italian, and religious studies programs and announced plans to fire six tenured faculty members.

[9] Its most popular majors, based on number out of 381 graduates in 2022, were:[10] The university maintains a student/faculty ratio of 11 to 1, with an average class size of 16[11] More than 9 in 10 IWU students receive a scholarship or need-based assistance.

Bachelor's degree programs are offered in three colleges:[13] Illinois Wesleyan's Ames Library was completed in 2002.

The Ames Library also houses eight sets of stained glass panels originally from Pembroke College at Oxford University.

This allows any student who has completed a full course-load in either the spring or fall semesters of that academic year to enroll in a May Term class.

May Term emphasizes curricular experimentation, and also offers an opportunity for service projects, study abroad, and internships.

[17] It also maintains a very strong relationship with Pembroke College, Oxford, and traditionally a few juniors can spend a year there as exchange students.

[18] The university publishes several different undergraduate research journals in the fields of political science, economics, history, and English.

[20] Its "internal twin", the Park Place Economist, publishes original work of Economics seniors graduating Illinois Wesleyan University.

Illinois Wesleyan teams have won 136 CCIW Titles and 9 Division III National Championships.

Illinois Wesleyan has produced 135 Academic All-American student athletes since the program began in 1970, a total that is tied for 25th among all participating colleges and universities, regardless of NCAA division.

[12] The Shirk Center also hosted the 2010 & 2011 NCAA Division III Women's National Basketball Championships.

[citation needed] Faculty colloquia regularly provide opportunities for intellectual discussion and encouragement.

[34] Wesleyan also has its own television station, Titan TV, broadcasting exclusively to IWU's residence halls.

The Blue, Gold, and Green routes provide bus service between campus, downtown Bloomington, uptown Normal, and other destinations.

[37] The Welcome Center was awarded Silver Certification as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building.

[38] The university's "Think Green" behavioral change campaign encourages community members to conserve resources.