Public · University

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois · Midsize suburb

88.1%
Admit rate
$19,398
Avg net price
65%
Graduation rate
$62,117
Median earnings

Illinois State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Normal, Illinois (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 19,057 undergraduates.

PublicLarge · 19,057 undergradsMidsize suburbAccessible · 88% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Missouri Valley ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Illinois State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
88.1%
SAT (mid 50%)
990–1210
Avg GPA (est.)
3.19

Enter a test score to see where you land against Illinois State University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Illinois State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Normal, Illinois

Normal is a town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. From its founding, it was generally recognized that Jesse W. Fell was the force behind the creation of the town. The Children's Discovery Museum in uptown Normal provides hands-on exhibits, classes and programs for children. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
34 miles to Peoria, IL
To Great Lakes shore
113 miles
Nearest airport
4 miles to Central Illinois Regional Airport at Bloomington-Normal (BMI)

How Illinois State University compares

Selectivity88.1%

More selective than 28% · #44 most selective of 58 in Illinois

SAT average1113

Higher than 34%

Graduation rate65%

Higher than 68% · #20 of 58 in Illinois

First-year retention81%

Higher than 65%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$62,117

Higher than 72% · #23 of 66 in Illinois

Average net price$19,398

Cheaper than 53% · #30 cheapest of 57 in Illinois

Median debt at graduation$20,482

Lower than 73%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment19,057

Larger than 94%

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

Illinois State University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

21,496students
  • Undergraduate19,05789%
  • Graduate2,43911%

Undergraduates by gender

19,057undergrads
  • Women10,71856%
  • Men8,33944%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White64%
  • Black14%
  • Hispanic14%
  • Asian2.6%
  • Other or multiracial5.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
19,057
Graduate enrollment
2,439
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
32%
First-generation students
30%
Students over 25
4%
Median family income
$67,100
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$85,077
Endowment
$224,309,967

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 4,147 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Illinois96%
  • Other U.S. states3.1%
  • International0.8%

Most first-years stay in state — Illinois State University draws overwhelmingly from Illinois.

1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
88.1%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
990–1210
SAT average
1113
SAT reading
500–620
SAT math
490–590
ACT composite
21–27
Average GPA (estimated)
3.19

Cost

In-state tuition
$16,144
Out-of-state tuition
$28,210
Room & board
$11,754
Books & supplies
$830
Total cost of attendance
$34,309
Average net price
$19,398

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)
65%
Graduated on time (4 years)
49%
First-year retention
81%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$50,599
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$62,117
Median debt at graduation
$20,482
Students with federal loans
43%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
71%

About 16% 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
49%
Low-income (Pell)
58%
First-generation
62%

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
6,578
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
35%
Housing charge (year)
$5,970
Meal plan (year)
$5,056
Application fee
$55
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Missouri Valley Conference
Varsity athletes
603 (330 men · 273 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 (11)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)250
Football128
Baseball38
Soccer33
Basketball29
Swimming and Diving (combined)28
Gymnastics23
Softball20
Volleyball20
Golf17
Tennis17

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
56
Property offenses (2022–2024)
7

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (21,546 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.

21reported offenses a year
19 violent a year2.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
12
Fondling
4.0
Aggravated assault
3.0
Motor vehicle theft
1.3
Burglary
1.0

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
$11,568
$30–48k
$12,301
$48–75k
$16,348
$75–110k
$23,865
$110k+
$28,224

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
$71,399

$16,348/year × about 4.4 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.

94%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,475
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 94% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,475. 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 3,974 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)
$62,117
Typical debt at graduation
$20,482
Debt vs. one year's pay
33%
Out-earn a HS grad
77%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.3 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
$57,497
Men
$69,771

Men out-earn women by $12,274 (21%) 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
86°F
Winter low
16°F
Annual rain
39.4″
Annual snow
20.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Normal 4NE, IL US station (3.5 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 Illinois State University

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

Colleges near Illinois 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.