Southern Illinois University-Carbondale: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Carbondale, Illinois · Public · Open access · CDS 2024-2025
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. For the most recent reporting cycle, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 90%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1060 and an ACT composite around 24. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $16,177 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Southern Illinois University-Carbondale 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 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale?
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale 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.
SAT and ACT scores Southern Illinois University-Carbondale typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 440–560, with an EBRW midpoint near 535. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 20–27. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.
| 25th percentile | — |
| 50th percentile | 1060 |
| 75th percentile | — |
| 25th percentile | 20 |
| 50th percentile | 24 |
| 75th percentile | 27 |
How much does Southern Illinois University-Carbondale actually cost?
Published tuition is $13,244 for in-state students and $13,244 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $12,114 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $16,177 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 37% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| Average net price (after aid) | $16,177 |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
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
- Illinois State University89% acceptance
- Lake Forest College54% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Southern Illinois University-Carbondale 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 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
What GPA do I need for Southern Illinois University-Carbondale?
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale 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 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 440–560, with an EBRW midpoint near 535. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 20–27.
How much does Southern Illinois University-Carbondale actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale after grants and scholarships is $16,177 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 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale 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, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.