Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (SIU) vs Governors State

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (SIU-C) and Governors State University (GSU) are two distinct universities in Illinois, each offering unique educational experiences. SIU-C, located in the southern part of the state, is a public research university with a larger student body and a wider range of academic programs, including doctoral degrees. GSU, situated in the Chicago metropolitan area, is a public university focused on undergraduate education and offers a more diverse student body. While both universities have open admissions policies, SIU-C has a higher acceptance rate. SIU-C is known for its strong programs in engineering, business, and agriculture, while GSU excels in nursing, social work, and education. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about the differences between these two institutions, including their graduation rates, student demographics, and popular majors, to help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Governors State University	Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Overview
Location	University Park, Illinois	Carbondale, Illinois
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	48.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	52.1%	95.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $65
SAT range	830 - 1060	930 - 1160
ACT range	16 - 22	20 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	21.0%	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	2.0%	18.0%
Total number of applicants	1,168	6,987
Total number of admissions given out	608	6,648
Admitted students who chose to enroll	194	1,422
Yield rate	31.9%	21.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $25,746 Out of state: $33,258	$29,903
Average net price	$9,943	$15,976
Tuition	In state: $7,512 Out of state: $15,024	$9,638
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,729 Meal plan: $3,000	Room/dormitory: $6,292 Meal plan: $4,330
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	88.0% Average amount $10,791	91.0% Average amount $13,301
Students receiving federal student loan	41.0% Average amount $5,514	55.0% Average amount $5,362
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $5,587	8.0% Average amount $12,619

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,709 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	8,147 Men 51.4% Women 48.6%
Graduate students	1,686 Men 31.7% Women 68.3%	3,119 Men 46.3% Women 53.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	5.2%	17.5%
International students	7.3%	7.7%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	272	4,492
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Indiana Florida Michigan Ohio	Illinois Missouri Indiana Tennessee Wisconsin

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Psychology Liberal Arts	Health Professions Education Engineering Technologies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Transportation and Logistics
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	15.8%	45.3%
Dropout rate	37.4%	53.2%
Transferred out	43.8%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,815 Year 2: $93,224 Year 3: $95,009 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,988 Year 2: $81,491 Year 3: $87,571 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,354 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $81,519 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $72,424 Year 2: $75,270 Year 3: $77,385 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,463 Year 2: $65,695 Year 3: $72,555 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $66,333 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,558 Year 2: $55,151 Year 3: $52,548 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,935 Year 3: $51,608 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,325 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $51,565 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,762 Year 2: $44,595 Year 3: $51,524	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,053 Year 2: $104,597 Year 3: $108,594 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,138 Year 2: $65,905 Year 3: $75,851 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,097 Year 2: $64,068 Year 3: $70,959 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $55,319 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $66,942 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,274 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $66,280 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,465 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $62,788 Architecture (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,426 Year 2: $53,219 Year 3: $62,608 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,372 Year 2: $55,211 Year 3: $62,306 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,213 Year 2: $55,061 Year 3: $62,169 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,024 Year 2: $49,840 Year 3: $62,089

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