More selective than 85% of Illinois colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $24,227. College Scorecard.
Higher than 8% of Illinois colleges we cover and 7% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 48% of Illinois colleges we cover and 65% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
GSU acceptance rate & admissions
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
GSU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Illinois residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What GSU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Governors State University took 4.4 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Illinois. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $9,563 | $42,173 | 1.9 years |
| $30–48k | $10,933 | $48,215 | 2.2 years |
| $48–75k | $11,705 | $51,619 | 2.3 years |
| $75–110k | $16,741 | $73,828 | 3.3 years |
| $110k+ | $22,076 | $97,355 | 4.4 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.4 years, the average time graduates took (13% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($58,169) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $22,372 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
GSU majors, earnings & careers
Governors State University offers 27 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 6
- Health & Medicine · 5
- Humanities & Languages · 4
- Business & Finance · 3
- Science & Math · 3
- Arts & Design · 2
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
- Education · 1
Highest-earning majors at GSU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $88,391 | $27,342 |
| Computer Science | $79,154 | $17,750 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $70,895 | $19,400 |
| Accounting | $61,223 | $22,000 |
| Business Administration | $59,562 | $20,207 |
| Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders | $58,455 | $25,500 |
| Social Work | $56,123 | $33,983 |
| Criminal Justice | $55,811 | $22,889 |
Quick list of all 27 majors
- Accounting$61,223
- Biology—
- Business Administration$59,562
- Chemistry—
- Communications$47,475
- Computer and Information Sciences$70,895
- Computer Science$79,154
- Criminal Justice$55,811
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$46,895
- English$50,426
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Health Administration$53,227
- History—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$50,703
- Mathematics—
- Medical Illustration and Informatics—
- Nursing$88,391
- Political Science—
- Psychology$47,048
- Public Health$51,027
- Social Sciences—
- Social Work$56,123
- Sociology and Anthropology—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$58,455
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Criminal Justice → Police officer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Chicago
Overall prices in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,011. Housing costs 12% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 42 inches of rain a year, 28 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (very high); river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Will County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Will County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare GSU with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Illinois by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governors State University | 48% | $12,329 | 22% | $58,169 | This school |
| Chicago State University | 43% | $12,335 | 15% | $42,778 | |
| Northeastern Illinois University | 75% | $14,109 | 22% | $52,234 | |
| Eastern Illinois University | 65% | $12,786 | 47% | $51,989 | |
| Western Illinois University | 71% | $12,937 | 45% | $54,163 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Governors State University would cost you $6 less per year than Chicago State University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Governors State University, mostly from a lower estimate for personal & travel costs (−$1,900).
- Chicago State University gives aided families $5,531 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Illinois resident | GSU | CSU | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $12,004 | $12,754 | −$750 |
| Books & supplies | $1,000 | $2,400 | −$1,400 |
| Housing & meals | $11,360 | $11,550 | −$190 |
| Personal & travel | $3,100 | $5,000 | −$1,900 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,237 | −$1,940 | −$1,297 |
| Sticker price | $24,227 | $29,764 | −$5,537 |
| Average grants | −$11,898 | −$17,429 | +$5,531 |
| You pay | $12,329 | $12,335 | −$6 |
“+” means GSU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about GSU
What is the GSU acceptance rate?
Governors State University accepts 48% of applicants (College Scorecard).
How much does Governors State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $24,227 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $12,329 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $9,563 and families earning $110k+ pay $22,076.
How much do GSU graduates earn?
Former Governors State University students earn a median $58,169 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the GSU graduation rate?
22% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 56% return for their second year.
How long does a GSU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Governors State University costs about $51,619 after grants ($11,705 a year for 4.4 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $58,169 ten years after starting, $22,372 more than high school graduates in Illinois ($35,797), so the cost is repaid in 2.3 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
Is GSU the right fit for your family?
Get a free report comparing GSU with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.
Build my free reportCheck my chances of getting inWe never share your contact information.
Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Governors State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/governors-state-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).