Public · University

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Carbondale, Illinois · Distant town

86.9%
Admit rate
$13,297
Avg net price
62%
Graduation rate
$53,390
Median earnings

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Carbondale, Illinois (distant town setting), enrolling 8,494 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 8,494 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 87% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Missouri Valley ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Southern Illinois University-Carbondale's admitted students.

Admit rate
86.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
900–1160
Avg GPA (est.)
3.04

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

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

About Carbondale, Illinois

Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, Illinois, United States, within the Southern Illinois region informally known as "Little Egypt". In August 1853, Daniel Harmon Brush, John Asgill Conner, and Dr. William Richart bought a 360-acre (1.5 km2) parcel of land between two proposed railroad station sites (Makanda and De Soto) and two county seats (Murphysboro and Marion). In addition to Southern Illinois University, which presents regular concerts and theatrical productions, as well as art and history exhibits, the city has a variety of unique cultural institutions. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
288 miles
Nearest airport
11 miles to Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois (MWA)

How Southern Illinois University-Carbondale compares

Selectivity86.9%

More selective than 31% · #42 most selective of 58 in Illinois

SAT average1055

Higher than 18%

Graduation rate62%

Higher than 64% · #23 of 58 in Illinois

First-year retention67%

Higher than 24%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$53,390

Higher than 48% · #45 of 66 in Illinois

Average net price$13,297

Cheaper than 80% · #13 cheapest of 57 in Illinois

Median debt at graduation$21,543

Lower than 61%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment8,494

Larger than 87%

Percentiles compare Southern Illinois University-Carbondale 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

11,731students
  • Undergraduate8,49472%
  • Graduate3,23728%

Undergraduates by gender

8,494undergrads
  • Women4,15949%
  • Men4,33551%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White65%
  • Black17%
  • Hispanic10%
  • Asian1.7%
  • Other or multiracial6.0%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
8,494
Graduate enrollment
3,237
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
39%
First-generation students
35%
Students over 25
19%
Median family income
$37,454
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$76,509
Endowment
$212,993,823

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 1,621 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Illinois83%
  • Other U.S. states16%
  • International1.0%

Most first-years stay in state — Southern Illinois University-Carbondale 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
86.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
900–1160
SAT average
1055
SAT reading
470–590
SAT math
430–570
ACT composite
18–25
Average GPA (estimated)
3.04

Cost

In-state tuition
$13,334
Room & board
$12,341
Books & supplies
$1,100
Total cost of attendance
$28,329
Average net price
$13,297

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)
62%
Graduated on time (4 years)
40%
First-year retention
67%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$43,087
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$53,390
Median debt at graduation
$21,543
Students with federal loans
45%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
45%

About 22% 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
40%
Low-income (Pell)
43%
First-generation
44%

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
4,492
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
53%
Housing charge (year)
$6,292
Meal plan (year)
$4,330
Application fee
$40
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Missouri Valley Conference
Varsity athletes
531 (289 men · 242 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 (9)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)190
Football105
Swimming and Diving (combined)81
Baseball34
Soccer34
Basketball29
Softball22
Golf20
Volleyball16

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
28
Property offenses (2022–2024)
25

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (11,790 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.

18reported offenses a year
9.3 violent a year8.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
6.0
Rape
5.0
Aggravated assault
3.7
Motor vehicle theft
2.3
Fondling
0.7

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
$9,415
$30–48k
$8,497
$48–75k
$10,308
$75–110k
$17,724
$110k+
$23,254

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
$46,690

$10,308/year × about 4.5 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.

78%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,855
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 78% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,855. 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 1,486 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)
$53,390
Typical debt at graduation
$21,543
Debt vs. one year's pay
40%
Out-earn a HS grad
60%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.0 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
$46,734
Men
$60,943

Men out-earn women by $14,209 (30%) 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
88°F
Winter low
23°F
Annual rain
49″
Annual snow
11.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Carbondale Sewage Plt, IL US station (3 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 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

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

Colleges near Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

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.