College · Public · Normal, IL · Suburb
Illinois State University
Normal, IL
Admit rate88%
6-yr median pay$51k
Net price / yr$19k
Undergrad size19,057
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $19k/yr for a shot at a $51k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 88% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1113 · ACT 24.
If you get in
19,057 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.
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 $34k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $19k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$137k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$78k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$60k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.5x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $16.1k
- Tuition · out-of-state
- $28.2k
- Room & board
- $11.8k
- Books & supplies
- $830
How students pay for it.
Pell grants32%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans43%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$20k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $8k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
Graduation · 6 yr65%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$51k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$62k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
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
- 19,057
- Location
- Normal, IL
- Region
- Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
- Carnegie class
- Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity (R2)
- Size & setting
- Four-year · large · primarily residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · full-time, selective, higher transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Higher Learning Commission
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White64%
- Hispanic14%
- Black14%
- Two or more races4%
- Asian3%
- International1%
- Unknown1%
First-gen students30%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time5%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Veterans0%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$67k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 66
What you can study.