Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Carbondale, Illinois · Website
$53,390
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$53,390
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is a public 4-year college in Carbondale, Illinois with 8,494 undergraduates and 3,237 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $13,297 a year (tuition and fees $13,334). It admits 87% of applicants and 62% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $53,390 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $21,543 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$13,297
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$13,334
US median $11,837
Admission rate
87%
US median 78%
Completion rate
62%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$21,543
About $228 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$53,390
Rank 1,218 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $13,297
- Tuition and fees
- $13,334
- Cost of attendance
- $28,329
- Students with a need-based grant
- 39%
- Students with federal loans
- 45%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $9,415
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $8,497
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $10,308
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $17,724
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $23,254
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $13,137 in 2015-16 to $13,334 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 87%
- Average SAT
- 1,055
- SAT reading, middle
- 535
- SAT math, middle
- 510
- ACT, middle
- 24
- Undergraduates
- 8,494
- Graduate students
- 3,237
- Part-time students
- 14%
- Women
- 52%
- Students per teacher
- 11
- Completion rate
- 62%
- Retention rate
- 67%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 229
- Endowment
- $213.0M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,218 of 5,094 US colleges and 50 of 189 in Illinois (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IL median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $13,297 | $15,156 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $13,334 | $13,291 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 87% | 77% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 62% | 59% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 67% | 72% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $21,543 | $10,297 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $43,087 | $34,234 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $53,390 | $39,544 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 51% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 70% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
229 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air TransportationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 171 | $18,750 | $44,063 | $81,394 | $85,825 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 102 | $17,680 | $54,215 | $67,961 | $51,389 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/TechniciansBachelor's | Bachelor's | 89 | $15,193 | $62,503 | $79,299 | $82,073 |
| LawProfessional | Professional | 76 | $91,500 | $54,507 | $79,658 | $107,773 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 75 | $60,389 | $108,648 | $125,336 | $127,347 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 72 | $21,500 | $54,694 | $70,478 | $76,194 |
| MedicineProfessional | Professional | 69 | $222,981 | $63,528 | $107,267 | $112,460 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesMaster's | Master's | 68 | $39,000 | $54,290 | $60,911 | $89,981 |
| Psychology, GeneralOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 65 | $23,000 | $32,287 | $48,728 | $50,706 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 61 | $20,115 | $39,496 | $48,127 | $47,382 |
| CriminologyOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 61 | $20,500 | $37,645 | $52,916 | $55,556 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 59 | $21,476 | $69,021 | $80,220 | $70,786 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 57 | $21,000 | $73,283 | $87,442 | $80,890 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 52 | $22,500 | $42,186 | $61,807 | $58,716 |
| Social WorkOnlineMaster's | Master's | 50 | $29,951 | $46,047 | $54,200 | $65,123 |
| Computer ScienceMaster's | Master's | 45 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $145,571 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 45 | $27,900 | $37,545 | $43,236 | $53,072 |
| ArchitectureOnlineMaster's | Master's | 42 | $30,233 | $58,938 | $78,062 | $74,139 |
| Air TransportationAssociate's | Associate's | 41 | $20,500 | $39,956 | $103,606 | $75,495 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 39 | $21,345 | $29,258 | $55,039 | $54,562 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 39 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Zoology/Animal BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 38 | $19,750 | $23,366 | $43,207 | $44,055 |
| Social WorkBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | $27,000 | $34,664 | $49,952 | $51,790 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 36 | $27,000 | $46,254 | $69,552 | $92,374 |
| Fire ProtectionOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 36 | $15,000 | $104,017 | $108,135 | $86,436 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Carbondale and Illinois on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Illinois
- Homes: Homes for sale in Illinois
Questions and answers
How much does Southern Illinois University-Carbondale cost?
$13,297 a year is the average net price at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $13,334, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $28,329. Families earning under $30,000 pay $9,415 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale?
87% of applicants are admitted to Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,055 and the middle ACT score is 24. The median admission rate of colleges in Illinois is 77%.
How much do Southern Illinois University-Carbondale graduates earn?
$53,390 a year is the median pay of former Southern Illinois University-Carbondale students who work, 10 years after they started ($43,087 after 6 years). That ranks 1,218 of 5,094 US colleges and 50 of 189 in Illinois. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's) at $108,648.
How much student debt do Southern Illinois University-Carbondale graduates have?
$21,543 is the median federal student loan debt of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale graduates, about $228 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 45% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale?
62% of first-time, full-time students at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale finish within 6 years. 67% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale?
Air Transportation (171 bachelor's graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (102 bachelor's graduates), Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (89 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 229 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.