Public · University

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois · Large suburb

48.3%
Admit rate
$12,329
Avg net price
22%
Graduation rate
$58,169
Median earnings

Governors State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in University Park, Illinois (large suburb setting), enrolling 2,556 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 2,556 undergradsLarge suburbSelective · 48% admitNAIA Division ICold winters

About University Park, Illinois

University Park is a village in Will County with a small portion in Cook County in the U.S. state of Illinois. In the late 1950s, Woodhill Enterprises purchased land south of Park Forest for a large subdivision. Building began in 1961, but by 1967 Wood Hill had only 240 homes. Residents created a homeowners association, which fostered a community identity. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
30 miles to Chicago, IL
To Great Lakes shore
21 miles
Nearest airport
20 miles to Gary/Chicago (GYY)

How Governors State University compares

Selectivity48.3%

More selective than 85% · #9 most selective of 58 in Illinois

Graduation rate22%

Higher than 7% · #53 of 58 in Illinois

First-year retention56%

Higher than 10%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$58,169

Higher than 63% · #34 of 66 in Illinois

Average net price$12,329

Cheaper than 84% · #7 cheapest of 57 in Illinois

Median debt at graduation$18,618

Lower than 82%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment2,556

Larger than 64%

Percentiles compare Governors State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Illinois.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

4,381students
  • Undergraduate2,55658%
  • Graduate1,82542%

Undergraduates by gender

2,556undergrads
  • Women1,72968%
  • Men82732%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White28%
  • Black41%
  • Hispanic20%
  • Asian2.1%
  • Other or multiracial9.4%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,556
Graduate enrollment
1,825
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
54%
First-generation students
43%
Students over 25
42%
Median family income
$20,792
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$77,571
Endowment
$2,797,016

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
48.3%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$12,004
Room & board
$11,736
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$24,227
Average net price
$12,329

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
22%
Graduated on time (4 years)
12%
First-year retention
56%
Transferred to another college
39%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$45,435
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$58,169
Median debt at graduation
$18,618
Students with federal loans
38%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
39%

About 10% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
12%
Low-income (Pell)
38%
First-generation
39%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
280
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
11%
Housing charge (year)
$8,360
Meal plan (year)
$3,000
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Varsity athletes
302 (155 men · 147 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (8)

Track and Field (Outdoor)57
Soccer56
Track and Field (Indoor)55
Cross Country50
Volleyball34
Basketball26
Golf13
Bowling11

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
4
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (4,397 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

1.7reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$9,563
$30–48k
$10,933
$48–75k
$11,705
$75–110k
$16,741
$110k+
$22,076

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$54,801

$11,705/year × about 4.7 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

45%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,380
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 45% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,380. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 286 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$58,169
Typical debt at graduation
$18,618
Debt vs. one year's pay
32%
Out-earn a HS grad
68%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$54,019
Men
$68,928

Men out-earn women by $14,909 (28%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
84°F
Winter low
15°F
Annual rain
42.1″
Annual snow
28.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.54.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Park Forest, IL US station (3.7 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Governors State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Governors State University side by side →

Colleges near Governors State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.