More selective than 25% 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 $28,329. College Scorecard.
Higher than 60% of Illinois colleges we cover and 65% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 30% of Illinois colleges we cover and 50% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale acceptance rate & admissions
Of 10,401 applicants, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale admitted 9,407 and 1,621 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 900–1160 on the SAT or 18–25 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale 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 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale took 4.3 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 | $9,415 | $40,673 | 2.3 years |
| $30–48k | $8,497 | $36,707 | 2.1 years |
| $48–75k | $10,308 | $44,531 | 2.5 years |
| $75–110k | $17,724 | $76,568 | 4.4 years |
| $110k+ | $23,254 | $100,457 | 5.7 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (40% 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 ($53,390) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $17,593 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.
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale majors, earnings & careers
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale offers 93 bachelor's majors across 11 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Science & Math · 18
- Humanities & Languages · 14
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 14
- Engineering · 12
- Business & Finance · 9
- Health & Medicine · 9
- Arts & Design · 5
- Communications & Media · 3
- Education · 3
- Technology & Computing · 3
- Trades & Applied Technology · 3
Highest-earning majors at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Fire Protection | $108,135 | $17,725 |
| Computer Science | $91,299 | $27,000 |
| Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians | $87,442 | $22,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $86,238 | $24,250 |
| Computer Engineering | $85,056 | $24,500 |
| Electrical Engineering | $83,853 | $19,750 |
| Electrical / Electronic Engineering Technologies / Technicians | $82,901 | — |
| Civil Engineering | $81,888 | $19,781 |
Quick list of all 93 majors
- Accounting$70,478
- Agricultural Business$71,910
- Agriculture$57,596
- Air Transportation$81,394
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$80,220
- Animal Sciences$41,932
- Anthropology$41,242
- Apparel and Textiles$43,823
- Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services$45,177
- Architecture$63,104
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$51,947
- Biomedical Engineering—
- Botany / Plant Biology—
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$42,113
- Business Administration$78,040
- Business Economics—
- Chemistry—
- Civil Engineering$81,888
- Classics—
- Communications$69,034
- Computer and Information Sciences$69,552
- Computer Engineering$85,056
- Computer Science$91,299
- Criminal Justice—
- Criminology$52,916
- Dental Support Services and Allied Professions$68,609
- Economics$60,612
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$48,127
- Education (Subject Teaching)$67,961
- Electrical / Electronic Engineering Technologies / Technicians$82,901
- Electrical Engineering$83,853
- Engineering—
- Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
- English$37,786
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography$40,592
- Finance$67,349
- Fire Protection$108,135
- Food Science and Technology—
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services—
- Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other—
- Forestry$50,394
- Funeral Service and Mortuary Science$60,203
- Geography—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$61,493
- Health Administration$61,807
- History$52,900
- Hospitality Management$53,392
- Human Development and Family Studies—
- Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians$87,442
- Information Science / Studies—
- International / Global Studies—
- Journalism$49,880
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$55,039
- Legal Support Services$43,654
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$43,236
- Linguistics$42,905
- Management Science / Analytics$56,680
- Marketing$58,934
- Mathematics—
- Mechanical Engineering$86,238
- Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies / Technicians$79,299
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology—
- Mining and Mineral Engineering—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$66,130
- Music—
- Nursing—
- Nutrition Science$55,329
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies$45,623
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Physiology—
- Plant Sciences—
- Political Science$55,544
- Psychology$48,728
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences$41,835
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Social Sciences—
- Social Work$49,952
- Sociology—
- Soil Sciences$74,026
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$55,217
- Studio Art$44,902
- Theatre$39,926
- Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies / Technicians$78,712
- Writing$56,632
- Zoology / Animal Biology$43,207
— 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 →Education (Subject Teaching) → High school teacher
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 0.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Accounting → Accountant / auditor
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.0% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Carbondale
2 bedrooms $930.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 49 inches of rain a year, 11 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Jackson County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Jackson County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Southern Illinois University-Carbondale 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 87% | $13,297 | 62% | $53,390 | This school |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | 98% | $14,889 | 57% | $56,346 | |
| University of Illinois Springfield | 86% | $9,833 | 53% | $57,103 | |
| Northern Illinois University | 70% | $13,391 | 49% | $57,808 | |
| 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
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale would cost you $1,592 less per year than Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, mostly from a lower estimate for personal & travel costs (−$2,831).
- Southern Illinois University-Carbondale gives aided families $1,002 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Illinois resident | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | SIUE | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $13,334 | $12,922 | +$412 |
| Books & supplies | $1,100 | $980 | +$120 |
| Housing & meals | $12,114 | $10,562 | +$1,552 |
| Personal & travel | $2,951 | $5,782 | −$2,831 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,170 | −$1,327 | +$157 |
| Sticker price | $28,329 | $28,919 | −$590 |
| Average grants | −$15,032 | −$14,030 | −$1,002 |
| You pay | $13,297 | $14,889 | −$1,592 |
“+” means Southern Illinois University-Carbondale 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 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
What is the Southern Illinois University-Carbondale acceptance rate?
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale accepts 87% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 9,407 of 10,401 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 900–1160 on the SAT or 18–25 on the ACT.
How much does Southern Illinois University-Carbondale cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $28,329 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $13,297 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $9,415 and families earning $110k+ pay $23,254.
How much do Southern Illinois University-Carbondale graduates earn?
Former Southern Illinois University-Carbondale students earn a median $53,390 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Southern Illinois University-Carbondale graduation rate?
62% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 67% return for their second year.
How long does a Southern Illinois University-Carbondale degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale costs about $44,531 after grants ($10,308 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $53,390 ten years after starting, $17,593 more than high school graduates in Illinois ($35,797), so the cost is repaid in 2.5 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
Is Southern Illinois University-Carbondale the right fit for your family?
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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: “Southern Illinois University-Carbondale: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/southern-illinois-university-carbondale (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).