Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Carbondale, Illinois · Public · 8,494 undergraduates · siu.edu
Test policy (fall 2027)
Test optional
Sending scores is your choice
Admit rate
94%
of 11,089 applicants
SAT (middle 50%)
890 to 1180
of enrolled freshmen
Annual cost (2027-28)
$31,730Est.Estimate
$31,830 out of state
Your chances and merit aid at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
See where you stand for admission, how much merit aid you could get, and what you'd pay after it.
We started you at a typical enrolled freshman here. Move the sliders to match you.
Your admission chances
94% of applicants admitted
Target
Your SAT is inside the range where the middle half of enrolled freshmen scored, and your GPA is in the middle half of freshmen's.
Estimated merit aid
a year
Your cost after merit aid
$31,830
a year in 2027-28, from a $31,830 sticker price (out of state)
What to do with your 1020
Send your score
Your SAT is at or above the median of freshmen who sent scores (1020).
Reach, target and likely are a rough guide from your test score and how selective the college is. Admissions also weigh your courses, grades, essays and activities. Merit aid figures are estimates, before any need-based aid.
Admissions
Test policy for fall 2027
Test optional
You choose whether to send an SAT or ACT score. If you send one, it's considered.
- If your GPA is below 2.8, you must send a score.
Source: Apply to SIU · Checked October 17, 2026
Application deadlines
- Dec1Priority deadline · December 1, 2026Apply by this date for the best chance at admission and scholarships.
- May1Other deadline · May 1, 2027
Source: Apply to SIU
Who gets in
94%
of applicants were admitted: 10,473 of 11,089 for fall 2025.
Test scores of enrolled freshmen (fall 2025)
The shaded part shows the middle half of enrolled freshmen who sent scores: a quarter scored below it and a quarter above. 39% of them sent SAT scores and 8.7% sent ACT scores.
SAT total 890 to 1180
Reading and Writing 450 to 610
Math 430 to 580
ACT composite 19 to 25
How enrolled freshmen scored on the SAT
- 1400 to 16001.4%
- 1200 to 139918%
- 1000 to 119934%
- 800 to 99937%
- 600 to 7998.5%
- 400 to 5990.4%
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
High school GPA of enrolled freshmen
Average GPA: 3.29
- 4.05.6%
- 3.75 to 3.9921%
- 3.50 to 3.7416%
- 3.25 to 3.4915%
- 3.00 to 3.2413%
- 2.50 to 2.9920%
- Below 2.5010%
Cost and financial aid
The sticker price is what a year costs before any aid. Most students pay less after grants and scholarships.
Sticker price for 2027-28Estimate
$31,730
a year, in state
$31,830
a year, out of state (tuition $10,510)
- Tuition (in state)$10,410
- Fees$4,180
- Food and housing$13,070
- Books and supplies$830
- Transportation and other$3,240
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale published $29,966 in state for 2025-26. Its 2027-28 prices aren't out yet.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
What families actually pay
What a year cost on average after grants and scholarships, for freshmen who got federal aid in 2023-24 (in-state students), by family income.
- $0 to $30,000$10,536
- $30,001 to $48,000$9,034
- $48,001 to $75,000$8,884
- $75,001 to $110,000$14,051
- Over $110,000$23,744
Financial aid
63%
of a student's financial need is covered, on average
$14,484
average need-based grant to freshmen, money you don't repay
23%
of freshmen got merit aid without financial need, $5,169 on average
- FAFSA
- Required for need-based aid. It's the free federal aid form.
- CSS Profile
- Not required. Only the FAFSA is needed.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
AP credit
AP exams that earn credit can replace college courses, so you pay for fewer of them and may graduate sooner.
AP exams that earn credit
41 of 41
Earn credit with a score of 3
40 exams
A 3-credit course is worth
about $1,040Est.Estimate
at 2027-28 tuition for in-state students
Credit for each AP exam
| Exam | Score needed | Credits | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-D Art and Design | 3 | 3 | UCC Fine Arts Substitution |
| 3-D Art and Design | 3 | 3 | UCC Fine Arts Substitution |
| African American Studies | 3 | 3 | AFR 109: Intro to Black America |
| Art History | 3 | 3 | AD 101 |
| Biology | 3 | 3 | PLB/ZOOL 115 |
| Biology | 4 | 4 | ZOOL 118 |
| Biology | 5 | 3 | BIOL 211 or ZOOL 118 |
| Calculus AB | 3 | 4 | MATH 150 |
| Calculus BC | 3 | 8 | MATH 150 & MATH 250 |
| Calculus BC: AB Subscore | 4 | 4 | MATH 150 |
| Chemistry | 3 | 3 | CHEM 106 |
| Chemistry | 4 | 4 | CHEM 200 & 201 |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 3 | 6 | CHIN 201B & CHIN 390 |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 4 | 9 | CHIN 201B & CHIN 390 |
| Comparative Government and Politics | 3 | 3 | POLS 250 |
| Computer Science A | 3 | 3 | CS 201 |
| Computer Science A | 4 | 7 | CS 201 & CS 202 |
| Computer Science Principles | 3 | 3 | CS 201 |
| Computer Science Principles | 4 | 7 | CS 201 & CS 202 |
| Drawing | 3 | 3 | UCC Fine Arts Substitution |
| English Language and Composition | 3 | 3 | ENGL 101 |
| English Language and Composition | 5 | 6 | ENGL 101 & ENGL 102 |
| English Literature and Composition | 3 | 3 | ENGL 121 |
| Environmental Science | 3 | 3 | GEOG 111 & 112 |
| European History | 3 | 6 | HIST 205A/B: History of Western Civilization |
| French Language and Culture | 3 | 6 | FR 201B & LCIS 200A |
| French Language and Culture | 4 | 9 | FR 201B & LCIS 200A & FR 390 |
| German Language and Culture | 3 | 6 | GER 201B & GER 390A |
| German Language and Culture | 4 | 9 | GER 201B & GER 390A/B |
| Human Geography | 3 | 3 | GEOG 103 |
| Italian Language and Culture | 3 | 6 | LCIS 100B & UCC Humanities Subst HUM 1XX |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 3 | 6 | JPN 201B & JPN 390 |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 4 | 9 | JPN 201B & JPN 390 |
| Latin | 3 | 6 | CLAS 391 |
| Latin | 4 | 9 | CLAS 391 |
| Macroeconomics | 3 | 3 | ECON 241 |
| Microeconomics | 3 | 3 | ECON 240 |
| Music Theory | 3 | 4 | MUS 104A & MUS 105A |
| Physics 1 | 3 | 3 | PHYS 101 |
| Physics 1 | 4 | 4 | PHYS 203/253A |
| Physics 2 | 3 | 3 | PHYS 101 |
| Physics 2 | 4 | 4 | PHYS 203/253A |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 3 | 3 | PHYS 101 |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 4 | 4 | PHYS 205/255B |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 3 | 3 | PHYS 101 |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 4 | 5 | PHYS 205/255A: University Physics & PHYS 206A: Problem Solving for PHYS 205A |
| Pre-Calculus | 3 | 4 | MATH 111: Precalculus |
| Psychology | 3 | 3 | PSYC 102 |
| Research | 3 | 6 | ENGL101 or 102 & Elective credit |
| Seminar | 3 | 3 | ENGL 101 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 3 | 6 | SPAN 201B & SPAN 306 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 4 | 9 | SPAN 201B & SPAN 304 & SPAN 306 |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 3 | 6 | SPAN 201B & SPAN 310 |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 4 | 9 | SPAN 201B & SPAN 306 & SPAN 310 |
| Statistics | 3 | 3 | MATH 101 |
| Statistics | 4 | 3 | MATH 282 |
| United States Government and Politics | 3 | 3 | POLS 114 |
| United States History | 3 | 3 | HIST 110 |
| World History: Modern | 3 | 6 | HIST 101A/B: The History of World Civ |
Source: AP credit policy
After college
Graduate within 6 years
59%
Come back for a second year
67%
Typical earnings
$57,388
a year, 10 years after starting here
- Southern Illinois University-Carbondale$71,589
- All colleges$53,419
Median yearly earnings of graduates five years after finishing a bachelor's in this major. 59 majors here have earnings data.
Keep exploring
Figures marked Estimate are our estimates, not numbers the college published. Check each college's own site before you apply. SAT is a trademark of College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Sharp is not affiliated with either, or with Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. The Southern Illinois University-Carbondale logo is a trademark of the college.