Macomb was in direct competition with Quincy, Aledo, Monmouth, La Harpe, and Rushville, as candidates for the site of a "western" university.

In 2016 and 2017, WIU saw a major downsizing and exodus of faculty and staff as a consequence of state budget cuts and declining undergraduate enrollment.

[17] Western's Cost Guarantee Plan is a four-year fixed rate for tuition, fees, room and board that remains in place as long as students are continuously enrolled.

Those students who transfer to WIU the following semester upon completing their associate degree will receive the previous year's cost guarantee rates.

[28] Centennial Honors College was founded in 1983 in order to attract more adept students and to provide an avenue for excellence.

Western Illinois has been in the Quad Cities dating back to 1912 when they first began offering extension classes in Moline and Rock Island.

[30] WIU-QC was previously an upper-division commuter site located on John Deere Road in Moline, Illinois.

The branch began a move to the Moline riverfront in 2012, and has expanded to serve all levels of the college experience, from the freshman year to professional development.

Riverfront Hall, built in 2012 on the site of the former John Deere Tech Center, houses the College of Business and Technology, including the School of Engineering formerly located in the Caxton Building in downtown Moline.

The radio station can be heard across McDonough County on 88.3 FM, as well as online through their website (883thedog.com) and their mobile apps.

106.3 FM, WIUM, Tri States Public Radio, is the NPR affiliate on the campus of Western Illinois University.

WIU is the only non-military institution in the nation with permission from the Department of the Navy to use the United States Marine Corps Official seal and mascot, the Bulldog.

Western Illinois sports teams participate in the NCAA Division I Ohio Valley Conference as of July 1, 2023.