National university
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Carbondale, IL · Public · 4-year
Your real cost
Average price after aid About $13,000 a year
Median debt at graduation: $21,543 (all students)
Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator
Academic Excellence
Each measure counts for the share shown.
- Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.62%
- First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.67%
- Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,055 · ACT 21.5
- Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.11 to 1
- Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$18,042
Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.
Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))
What families pay, by income
Average paid by families who received aid, by income. Families who get no aid pay the full cost of attendance: $28,329 a year.
| Family income | Price after aid |
|---|---|
| Up to $30,000 | |
| $30,001–$48,000 | |
| $48,001–$75,000 | |
| $75,001–$110,000 | |
| Over $110,000 |
Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.
Cost and value
Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.
| Undergraduate students Fall enrollment (IPEDS) | 8,195 |
|---|---|
| Men and women College Scorecard, fall 2023 | Men 48% · Women 52% |
| First-generation students College Scorecard | 35% |
| First-year students from another state IPEDS, fall 2023 | 16% |
| Total students | 11,359 |
| Average net price (per year) After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid | About $13,000 |
| Cost of attendance (per year) | $28,329 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $21,543 |
| Graduation rate First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time | 62% |
| Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients College Scorecard, within 6 years | 49% |
| Graduation rate for first-generation students College Scorecard, within 6 years | 48% |
| Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years College Scorecard, within 3 years | 51% |
| First-year retention | 67% |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $53,390 |
| Admission rate | 87% |
| Application fee IPEDS, 2023–24 | $40 |
| Typical rent HUD fair market rent, FY2026 | About $737 a month for a one-bedroom |
| Students receiving Pell grants | 39% |
| Average SAT | 1055 |
|---|---|
| SAT reading & writing | 470–590 |
| SAT math | 430–570 |
| ACT composite | 18–25 |
| Test policy | Considered but not required |
Value: Very good · Top 22% (how it’s computed)
Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.
Earnings by major
Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).
| Major | Median earnings |
|---|---|
| Fire science | |
| Computer science | |
| Industrial technology | |
| Mechanical engineering | |
| Computer engineering | |
| Electrical engineering | |
| Electrical engineering technology | |
| Civil engineering | |
| Air Transportation | |
| Allied health | |
| Mechanical engineering technology | |
| Automotive technology | |
| Business administration | |
| Soil Sciences | |
| Agricultural business | |
| Accounting | |
| Computing and information science | |
| Communication studies | |
| Dental assisting | |
| Secondary education | |
| Finance | |
| Interdisciplinary studies | |
| Architecture | |
| Health administration | |
| Design | |
| Economics | |
| Funeral Service and Mortuary Science | |
| Marketing | |
| Agriculture | |
| Management science | |
| Writing and rhetoric | |
| Political science | |
| Nutrition Sciences | |
| Speech-language pathology | |
| Kinesiology and exercise science | |
| Hospitality management | |
| Criminology | |
| History | |
| Biology | |
| Forestry | |
| Social work | |
| Journalism | |
| Psychology | |
| Teacher education | |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | |
| Fine arts | |
| Apparel and Textiles | |
| Paralegal studies | |
| Liberal arts | |
| Zoology/Animal Biology | |
| Linguistics | |
| Broadcasting | |
| Animal Sciences | |
| Rehabilitation and therapy | |
| Anthropology | |
| Film and video | |
| Theatre | |
| English |
Also offered (no earnings published yet): Biochemistry, Biomedical/Medical Engineering, Botany/Plant Biology, Chemistry, Classics, Criminal justice, Engineering (general), Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Ethnic and gender studies, Family and human development, Food Science and Technology, Foods, Nutrition,, Geography, Geology and earth science, German, Global studies, Information science, Managerial economics, Mathematics, Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, Mining and Mineral Engineering, Music, Natural resources and conservation, Nursing, Other foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics, Philosophy, Physics, Physiology and pathology, Plant Sciences, Romance languages, Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Social sciences, Sociology, Special education.
What students study most
Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).
| Field | Share of degrees |
|---|---|
| Health professions | |
| Education | |
| Business | |
| Transportation | |
| Engineering technologies |
Campus life
| School colors | |
|---|---|
| Setting | Town |
| Part-time undergraduates | 14% |
| Undergraduates aged 25 and older | 19% |
| On-campus room and board (per year) | $12,341 |
| Sports | NCAA Division I · Missouri Valley Conference |
| ROTC | Army · Air Force |
| Study abroad | Offered |
| Students per faculty member | 11 to 1 |
| Undergraduates registered with the disability office | About 6%IPEDS, 2023–24 |
| Disability services | Visit the office’s pageThe college’s own page |
| Faculty who are full-time | 79%College Scorecard, fall 2023 |
| Endowment per student | $18,961IPEDS, 2023, per student |
| Dorm space | For about 55% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus |
| Nearest airport with airline service | Scott AFB/Midamerica Airport (BLV)About 67 miles away · about 1 hour 55 minutes by car |
| Nearest major airport | St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)About 95 miles away |
| Town population | 22,158Census, 2020–2024 |
| Nearest city of 250,000 people or more | St. LouisAbout 85 miles away · about 2 hours 15 minutes by car |
| Typical weather | 32°F in January · 78°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Carbondale Sewage Plt, IL, about 3 miles away |
Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.
Questions families ask
- What is Southern Illinois University-Carbondale’s Compass Score?
- Good (grade B). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
- How much does Southern Illinois University-Carbondale cost after financial aid?
- The average net price is about $13,000 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
- How hard is it to get into Southern Illinois University-Carbondale?
- Southern Illinois University-Carbondale admitted 87% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
- How do Southern Illinois University-Carbondale’s graduates do?
- 62% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $53,390; the median federal debt at graduation is $21,543.
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About this school’s data
- IPEDS unit ID 149222
- Carnegie classification: Doctoral university (high research)
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
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