Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Carbondale, Illinois · Public · 4-year · Town
Official websiteAt a glance
- Average net price
- $13,297What students typically pay per year after grants and scholarships.
- Acceptance rate
- 87%
- Graduation rate
- 59%Share of students who finish within 150% of the normal time.
- Undergraduates
- 8,494
- In-state tuition
- $13,334Published price before aid.
- Out-of-state tuition
- $13,334
- SAT midpoint
- 1,045
- Median earnings, 10 yrs
- $53,390Median earnings of former students ten years after they first enrolled.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Data year: 2022-23 academic year. Updated September 2026. Figures are averages across all students and will differ from what any individual pays.
How it compares to similar colleges
Each rating covers one measure against public 4-year colleges nationally. Five stars means the top fifth on that measure. There is no overall score, because which of these matters is your call.
Affordability
$13,2974/5
Better than 62% of public 4-year colleges (565 compared).
Completion
59%4/5
Better than 67% of public 4-year colleges (566 compared).
Earnings
$53,3903/5
Better than 45% of public 4-year colleges (590 compared).
Debt at graduation
$21,5432/5
Better than 40% of public 4-year colleges (588 compared).
What these ratings are based on
- Affordability
- Based on average net price: what students receiving federal aid actually paid, after grants and scholarships. Your own cost depends on your family's finances.
- Completion
- Based on the share of first-time, full-time students who graduate within 150% of normal time. It excludes transfer and part-time students, which understates colleges serving many of them.
- Earnings
- Based on median earnings ten years after students first enrolled. It reflects the subjects a college teaches and the region it sits in as much as its teaching.
- Debt at graduation
- Based on median federal loan debt among students who completed. Private and parent loans are not included, so real totals are often higher.
- Why there is no rating for selectivity
- A lower acceptance rate is selectivity, not quality. Awarding stars for it would be us inventing a value judgement and hiding it behind a number.
What it actually costs
Published cost
$28,329
The sticker price: tuition, fees, housing, food and books for one academic year, before any aid.
Average net price
$13,297
What students receiving federal aid actually paid on average, after grants and scholarships. This is the more useful number, though your own figure depends on your family’s finances.
Outcomes
| Graduation rateWithin 150% of normal time | 59% |
|---|---|
| Retention rateFirst-year students who return | 67% |
| Median debt at graduationFederal loans only, students who completed | $21,543 |
| Median earnings, 10 years after entryFormer students, working and not enrolled | $53,390 |
What graduates of each major earn
Median earnings one year after finishing, for people who took that subject here. This is the figure a college-wide median hides: the spread between subjects at one college is usually far wider than the spread between colleges.
| Major | Earnings, 1 yr | Degrees awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Fire Protection | $104,017 | 36 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | $73,283 | 57 |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians | $72,495 | 13 |
| Computer Science | $70,053 | 23 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $69,454 | 33 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | $69,021 | 59 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | $68,670 | 22 |
| Civil Engineering | $65,269 | 18 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians | $62,503 | 89 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $55,633 | 28 |
| Soil Sciences | $55,076 | 13 |
| Accounting and Related Services | $54,694 | 72 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | $54,215 | 102 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | $53,559 | 31 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | $48,708 | 30 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | $46,254 | 36 |
| Special Education and Teaching | $44,429 | 26 |
| Air Transportation | $44,063 | 171 |
| Architecture | $43,248 | 18 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $42,711 | 33 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | $42,186 | 52 |
| Journalism | $40,575 | 14 |
| Marketing | $40,244 | 23 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | $40,194 | 18 |
| Agriculture, General | $39,700 | 9 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $39,496 | 61 |
| Economics | $37,798 | 24 |
| Criminology | $37,645 | 61 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | $37,545 | 45 |
| Legal Support Services | $36,159 | 8 |
| Forestry | $35,398 | 32 |
| Social Work | $34,664 | 37 |
| Funeral Service and Mortuary Science | $33,688 | 23 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | $33,285 | 21 |
| Communication and Media Studies | $32,465 | 21 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | $32,357 | 9 |
| Psychology, General | $32,287 | 65 |
| Animal Sciences | $30,706 | 29 |
| History | $30,101 | 13 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | $29,258 | 39 |
| Biology, General | $28,206 | 32 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | $27,004 | 9 |
| Political Science and Government | $26,635 | 19 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | $25,921 | 28 |
| Apparel and Textiles | $25,247 | 3 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | $25,057 | 26 |
| English Language and Literature, General | $24,145 | 23 |
| Zoology/Animal Biology | $23,366 | 38 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | $21,322 | 20 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Not reported | 39 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | Not reported | 17 |
| Computer Engineering | Not reported | 15 |
| Music | Not reported | 13 |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | Not reported | 13 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Not reported | 12 |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | Not reported | 12 |
| Anthropology | Not reported | 11 |
| Mathematics | Not reported | 11 |
| Nutrition Sciences | Not reported | 10 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | Not reported | 9 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | Not reported | 8 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | Not reported | 8 |
| Chemistry | Not reported | 7 |
| Botany/Plant Biology | Not reported | 6 |
| Design and Applied Arts | Not reported | 4 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | Not reported | 4 |
| Sociology | Not reported | 4 |
| Philosophy | Not reported | 4 |
| Physics | Not reported | 3 |
| Food Science and Technology | Not reported | 2 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | Not reported | 2 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | Not reported | 2 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Not reported | 2 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | Not reported | 2 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | Not reported | 2 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Not reported | 1 |
| Geography and Cartography | Not reported | Not reported |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Not reported | Not reported |
| Information Science/Studies | Not reported | Not reported |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | Not reported | Not reported |
| International/Globalization Studies | Not reported | Not reported |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Not reported | Not reported |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Not reported | Not reported |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services | Not reported | Not reported |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Not reported | Not reported |
| Plant Sciences | Not reported | Not reported |
| Social Sciences, General | Not reported | Not reported |
| Engineering, General | Not reported | Not reported |
| Business/Managerial Economics | Not reported | Not reported |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Not reported | Not reported |
| Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other | Not reported | Not reported |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General | Not reported | Not reported |
| Mining and Mineral Engineering | Not reported | Not reported |
All 93 bachelor’s programs this college reported.
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