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 university in Carbondale, Illinois that admits about 90% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $16,177 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Air Transportation, Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas and Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 3.1 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
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
Most popular majors at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
The most popular undergraduate programs at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Air Transportation, Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas and Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians. Across all programs, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale confers roughly 700 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Air Transportation program report a median income of about $66,893 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) |
|---|---|---|
| Air Transportation | 150 | $66,893 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 120 | $63,679 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians | 89 | $74,324 |
| Criminology | 75 | $55,612 |
| Psychology, General | 74 | $46,393 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 67 | $70,417 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | 64 | $71,582 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 61 | $46,084 |
Is Southern Illinois University-Carbondale safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Southern Illinois University-Carbondale disclosed 26 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 3.1 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 2 violent offenses and 9 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.
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.
What is the acceptance rate at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale?
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale accepts about 90% of applicants. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is Southern Illinois University-Carbondale a public or private school, and where is it located?
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois.
What are the most popular majors at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale?
The largest undergraduate majors at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale by annual graduates are Air Transportation, Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas and Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians. The school awards about 700 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Southern Illinois University-Carbondale safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale reported 26 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 3.1 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, 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.