College · Public · University Park, IL · Suburb
Governors State University
University Park, IL
Admit rate48%
6-yr median pay$45k
Net price / yr$12k
Undergrad size2,556
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $12k/yr for a shot at a $45k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 48% means this is selective — grades, essays, and testing matter. Admitted students average ACT 19.
If you get in
2,556 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
Suburban — a short drive to the nearest city, greener but still connected.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $24k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $12k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$97k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$49k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$48k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.1x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $12.0k
- Room & board
- $11.7k
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
How students pay for it.
Pell grants54%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans38%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$19k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $10k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
1-yr retention58%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr22%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$45k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$58k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out39%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- Suburb
- Control
- Public
- Undergrad size
- 2,556
- Location
- University Park, IL
- Region
- Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
- Carnegie class
- Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
- Size & setting
- Four-year · medium · primarily nonresidential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · medium full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Higher Learning Commission
- Also known as
- GSU
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- Black41%
- White28%
- Hispanic20%
- Two or more races4%
- Unknown3%
- International2%
- Asian2%
First-gen students43%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time32%
Mixed full-time and part-time.
Veterans1%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$21k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 27
What you can study.