Illinois State University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Normal, Illinois · Public · Open access · CDS 2024-2025
Illinois State University is a public university in Normal, Illinois that admits about 89% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $18,996 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Marketing and Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 65% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 1.3 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Illinois State University is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. For the most recent reporting cycle, Illinois State University admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 89%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1127 and an ACT composite around 24. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $18,996 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Illinois State University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Illinois State University?
Illinois State University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Illinois State University weight in admissions?
Illinois State University reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Academic GPA
- • Standardized test scores
- • Application essay
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Class rank
- • Recommendations
- • Interview
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
SAT and ACT scores Illinois State University typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 500–610, with an EBRW midpoint near 560. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 22–27. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.
| 25th percentile | 1010 |
| 50th percentile | 1110 |
| 75th percentile | 1210 |
| % submitting SAT | 43.69% |
| 25th percentile | 21 |
| 50th percentile | 24 |
| 75th percentile | 27 |
| % submitting ACT | 7.54% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
How much does Illinois State University actually cost?
Published tuition is $16,021 for in-state students and $28,086 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $11,584 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $18,996 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 30% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $12,066 |
| Out-of-state tuition | $24,132 |
| Room and board | $11,410 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $18,996 |
| Application fee | $55 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Illinois State University
| Regular deadline | April 1 |
| Notification date | Rolling, beginning April 1 |
| Reply deadline | May 1 |
| Rolling admissions | Yes |
Will my child graduate from Illinois State University?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Illinois State University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Illinois State University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Marketing and Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. Across all programs, Illinois State University confers roughly 1,681 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods program report a median income of about $49,945 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 471 | $49,945 |
| Marketing | 243 | $76,346 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 207 | $83,441 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 161 | $86,558 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 156 | $59,685 |
| Psychology, General | 149 | $56,232 |
| Special Education and Teaching | 147 | $56,275 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 147 | $70,456 |
Is Illinois State University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Illinois State University disclosed 24 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 1.3 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 6 violent offenses and 15 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Illinois State University?
About 35% of undergraduates at Illinois State University live in campus housing, so a meaningful share of students commute or live off campus. In Greek life, 4% of men join a fraternity and 7% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Illinois parents ask about
- University of Chicago7% acceptance
- Northwestern University5% acceptance
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign44% acceptance
- University of Illinois Chicago70% acceptance
- DePaul University55% acceptance
- Loyola University Chicago93% acceptance
- Southern Illinois University-Carbondale90% acceptance
- Lake Forest College54% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Illinois State University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Illinois State University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Illinois State University
What GPA do I need for Illinois State University?
Illinois State University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Illinois State University typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 500–610, with an EBRW midpoint near 560. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 22–27.
How much does Illinois State University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Illinois State University after grants and scholarships is $18,996 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Illinois State University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Illinois State University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Illinois State University?
Illinois State University accepts about 89% of applicants out of roughly 21,573 who apply each year. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is Illinois State University test-optional?
Yes. Illinois State University is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Illinois State University?
About 65% of students at Illinois State University graduate within six years. 81% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
What does Illinois State University look for in applicants?
Illinois State University rates GPA as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Illinois State University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Illinois State University is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois.
What are the most popular majors at Illinois State University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Illinois State University by annual graduates are Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Marketing and Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. The school awards about 1,681 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Illinois State University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Illinois State University reported 24 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 1.3 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Illinois State University?
At Illinois State University, 35% of undergraduates live on campus, 4% of men are in fraternities, 7% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Illinois State University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.