Ready for Anything - That’s a Saluki

Students who are ready to hit the ground running; to begin a research or creative project as early as freshman year; who are willing to leave their comfort zones to seize opportunities; who are committed to community service, learning-by-doing and participating in a supportive academic environment. Alumni who remain connected to their university, who seek ways to help current students, who foster interns and externs and offer professional expertise. Faculty members who bring their creative and research experience into the classroom, who mentor students one on one and who expect the best from their students. That’s Southern Illinois University Carbondale; that’s what it means to be a Saluki.

SIU is all about opportunity

SIU has a long history of opening doors for students, welcoming many who are the first in their families to go to college as well as those who are third- and fourth-generation Salukis. The university awards more than $10 million in scholarships and grants to its students annually, with more than 90 percent receiving financial aid. Students come to SIU from every state and from 100 countries. As of this fall, SIU is a university without borders – all United States residents pay the same tuition as Illinois residents.

Academics

SIU offers more than 250 undergraduate majors, minors and specializations catering to career goals in areas from the arts through the sciences - including humanities, business, mass media and communications, engineering, education, allied health, aviation and automotive technology, architecture, fashion, agriculture, sustainability and more. The emphasis on experiential learning and career-mindedness contributes to a campus culture alive with opportunity. Students participate in internships, externships, field schools, study abroad and hands-on classes, with opportunities for service learning and mentored research and creative projects beginning freshman year. SIU students excel in a number of academic and career-focused collegiate competitions, including winning national championships in debate and aviation, and awards and top honors in robotics, cybersecurity, music, theater, agronomy, industrial design, journalism and engineering to name a few. Some even have the opportunity to enter off-campus art shows, get published or present their research at academic conferences in their areas.

The University Honors Program offers seminar-style courses that promote in-depth study of specific subject areas, from pop culture to physical science – including travel courses to England, Costa Rica and other destinations. Career Services hosts career fairs with major national employers and helps students prepare everything from their résumés to their wardrobe. The Writing Center is available to the entire campus community for manuscript and paper editing, revision and assistance, and the Center for Learning Support Services lines up tutoring and study groups. 

One of SIU’s strongest resources is its people. SIU faculty are passionate about teaching and mentoring. They bring professional, performance and research experience into the classroom, seeking out students to join research projects such as breeding disease-resistant soybeans and improving solar power cells, and to engage in art projects such as hosting literary, independent film and new play festivals. SIU faculty perform at Carnegie Hall, earn Fulbright and PEN awards; chair national conferences and professional and academic organizations; and publish their findings on everything from ancient Egypt to driverless cars. Students who excel at SIU repeatedly praise faculty members for their devotion to teaching and their encouragement of individual student success.

Student Life

SIU students are known for their friendliness, individuality and willingness to try new things. That’s why there are more than 300 student organizations on campus. Some are the national honors societies and student chapters of professional organizations that a research university such as SIU might be expected to have. Some are affiliated with particular majors or career paths. Some are “Greek” fraternities and sororities. Some are religious or political. Some are sports-oriented. And some are for special interests. From step groups to a Quidditch team, the Southern Illinois Metalsmiths to the Microbiology Student Organization, Saluki students have myriad opportunities to find their pack.

Service-learning is an important feature of collegiate life for many Salukis. SIU is a Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement university, a designation that highlights the many volunteer hours SIU students, staff and faculty devote to their community, globally and locally. The Center for Service Learning and Volunteerism pairs students with volunteer opportunities in line with their career goals. Students have painted murals, restored hiking trails, manned phones for funding drives, planned community-wide events, created audio recordings for community listeners, kept or updated records and data, tutored, taught and counseled.

SIU is part of the Missouri Valley Conference. Salukis are loyal fans, and the Dawg Pound is loud, proud and hard to miss. Football, basketball, baseball, softball, cross country, golf, swimming and diving, track and field, volleyball and newly added soccer teams provide sports fans plenty of opportunities to celebrate.

Salukis get their culture on with theater, music performances and festivals, art shows, a major indie film festival, on-campus art galleries and museum, performance art, literary festivals and a full array of guest speakers, movie nights and special events such as Greek Sing, drag shows and the week-long International Festival with cultural shows and an international buffet.

The university’s Student Recreation Center and Student Health Center help keep students fit and healthy in body and mind, and provide dental, optometry, counseling, pharmacy and wellness services.

SIU is a Top 100 Safest College in America as rated by the National Council for Home Safety and Security.

Commitment to a Sustainable Future

SIU is a “Bicycle Friendly University,” a Princeton Review Green College and a leader in recycling and composting. Nearly 10 years ago, SIU students voted to add a Green Fee in order to fund campus sustainability efforts.

Going Forward

SIU students today want academic freedom. They take courses in multiple areas, connect their own paths and build an educational foundation that is both traditional and uniquely their own. The university is in the midst of creating synergistic programs that will open up new fields for students and bring together faculty from across campus for collaborative research and creative endeavors.

• Agriculture
• Agricultural Economics
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Agriculture
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Animal Sciences
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Plant Sciences
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Architecture
• Architecture
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Area and ethnic studies
• African American/Black Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Biological/life sciences
• Biology/Biological Sciences
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Botany/Plant Biology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Microbiology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Physiology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Zoology/Animal Biology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Business/marketing
• Accounting
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Business Administration and Management
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Business/Managerial Economics
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Finance
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Hospitality Administration Related
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Management Science
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Marketing/Marketing Management
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Communication/Journalism
• Journalism
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Radio and Television
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Computer and information sciences
• Computer Science
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Information Science/Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Education
• Early Childhood Education
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Elementary Education
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Special Education
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Trade and Industrial Teacher Education
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Engineering
• Civil Engineering
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Computer Engineering
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Electrical and Electronics Engineering
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Mechanical Engineering
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Mining and Mineral Engineering
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Engineering technologies
• Automotive Engineering Technology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologies Related
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Engineering Technology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Industrial Technology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• English
• English
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Family and consumer sciences
• Apparel and Textiles
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Foreign languages and literature
• Foreign Languages and Literatures
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Linguistics
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Health professions and related sciences
• Communication Sciences and Disorders
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Dental Hygiene
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Health/Health-Care Administration
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Medical Radiologic Technology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Physical Therapy Technology
  Associate Degree offered for this major.
• Physician Assistant
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions Related
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• History
• History
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Homeland security, law enforcement, firefighting, and protective services
• Fire Services Administration
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Interdisciplinary studies
• Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies Related
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Nutrition Sciences
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Law/legal studies
• Legal Assistant/Paralegal
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Liberal arts/general studies
• Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Mathematics and statistics
• Mathematics
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Mechanic and repair technologies
• Avionics Maintenance Technology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Natural resources/environmental science
• Forestry
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Parks and recreation
• Kinesiology and Exercise Science
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Parks, Recreation and Leisure
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Sport And Fitness Administration/Management
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Personal and culinary services
• Funeral Service and Mortuary Science
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Philosophy and religious studies
• Philosophy
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Physical sciences
• Chemistry
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Geology/Earth Science
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Physics
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Psychology
• Psychology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Public administration and social services
• Social Work
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Social sciences
• Anthropology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Economics
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Geography
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Political Science and Government
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Social Sciences
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Sociology
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Transportation and materials moving
• Airline Pilot and Flight Crew
  Associate Degree offered for this major.
• Aviation/Airway Management
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Visual and performing arts
• Art
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Cinematography and Film/Video Production
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Design and Visual Communications
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Dramatic/Theater Arts
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Dramatic/Theater Arts and Stagecraft Related
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Fine/Studio Arts
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Interior Design
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.
• Music
  Bachelor's Degree offered for this major.

• Acceptance Rate
• Applied7,941
• Accepted6,049
• Acceptance Rate76%
• Enrolled10,987
• Female Applicants4,375
• Females Accepted3,309
• Female Acceptance Rate75%
• Male Applicants3,566
• Males Accepted2,740
• Male Acceptance Rate76%
• Applying
• Application Fee $40
• Required for All Transcript of high school record
  
• Required for Some
• Average high school GPA for first-year freshman3.14
• Application Deadlines
• Type Application Closing Notification Date Rolling Admissions
• Fall freshmen Yes
• Out-of-state Fall freshmen Not Reported
• Early decision plan Not Reported
• Other early decision plan Not Reported
• Transfer Yes
• Test Scores Accepted
• Test Average School Accepted 25th Percentile* 75th Percentile*
• SAT Critical Reading 440 530
• SAT Math 480 600
• SAT Writing
• ACT Composite 20 26
• * 25th and 75th percentile is the score that 25/75 percent of students score at or below.

• Tuition
• In-state tuition *$9,450
• Out-of-state tuition *$23,625
• In-district tuitionNot Reported
• * Tuition costs are based on a full academic year typically extending from September to June.
• Fees
• Full-time student fees$4,486
• Room and board *$10,622
• Room only *Not Reported
• * Room and board charges vary according to board plan selected (i.e., 12-meal plan, 19-meal plan, etc.) and student level (freshman, sophomore, etc.)
• Other Payment Considerations
• Guaranteed tuition plan offeredYes
• Tuition pre-payment planNo
• Tuition payment plans offeredInstallments
• Student groups that qualify for full or partial waiver of tuitionChildren of Alumni, Employees or children of employees, Senior Citizens

• Average Financial Aid Package:$15,046
• Average Freshman Financial Aid Package:$17,101
• Average International Student Financial Aid Package:$18,982
• Average Loan Aid:$4,693
• Average Grant Aid:$6,693
• Average Scholarship and/or Grant Aid Awarded:$7,904
• Percentage of Students with Need who Receive Financial Aid:99%
• Average Percentage of Financial Need Met: 61%
• Percentage of Students Who Had Their Need Fully Met: 10%

• Gender
• Total Undergraduate Students10,987
• Male Student Percentage54%
• Female Student Percentage46%
• Race/Ethnicity
• Hispanic/Latino8.87%
• Black or African American16.26%
• White or Caucasian65.09%
• American Indian or Alaska Native.28%
• Asian1.72%
• Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.1%
• Two or more races3.63%
• Unknown or International Student.11%
• Other Student Statistics
• International Breakout3.94% representing 47 other countries
• Out-of-state Students17% out-of-state student

• Housing
• College-owned housing available Yes
• Housing Requirements None
• Housing options Coed housing , Female-only housing, Special housing for disabled, Male-only housing, Cooperative housing
• Percentage of undergraduate students who live in college-owned housing 22%
• Student Activities
• Student-run campus newspaper Yes
• Drama / theater group Yes
• Student-run radio station Yes
• Student-run television station Yes
• Marching band Yes
• Choral groups Yes
• Student Services
• Legal services Yes
• Health clinic Yes
• Personal / psychological counseling Yes
• Women's center Yes
• Student Organizations
• Greek fraternities Yes
• Greek sororities Yes
• Local fraternities Yes
• Local sororities Yes
• Other organizations No
• Most popular organizations Inter-Greek Council, Undergraduate Student Government, Black Affairs Council, Residence Hall Association, Equestrian Club
• Campus Security and Safety
• 24-hour emergency telephone / alarm services Yes
• 24-hour patrols by trained officers Yes
• Students patrols Yes
• Late-night transport / escort services Yes
• Electronically-operated dormitory entrances Yes
• Other well-lit pathways, night safety vans, student transit system

• Men's Sports
• Sport Intramural Intercollegiate Scholarship
• Archery Yes No No
• Badminton Yes No No
• Baseball Yes Division 1 Yes
• Basketball Yes Division 1 Yes
• Bowling Yes No No
• Cheerleading No Yes No
• Cross-country running No Division 1 Yes
• Equestrian sports Yes No No
• Fencing Yes No No
• Football No Division B Yes
• Golf No Division 1 Yes
• Gymnastics Yes No No
• Lacrosse Yes No No
• Racquetball Yes No No
• Rock climbing Yes No No
• Rugby Yes No No
• Sailing Yes No No
• Soccer Yes No No
• Softball No No No
• Swimming No Division 1 Yes
• Table Tennis Yes No No
• Tennis Yes No No
• Track No Division 1 Yes
• Ultimate Frisbee Yes No No
• Volleyball Yes No No
• Water polo Yes No No
• Weight Lifting Yes No No
• Wrestling Yes No No
• Women's Sports
• Sport Intramural Intercollegiate Scholarship
• Archery Yes No No
• Badminton Yes No No
• Baseball No No No
• Basketball Yes Division 1 Yes
• Bowling Yes No No
• Cheerleading No Yes No
• Cross-country running No Division 1 Yes
• Equestrian sports Yes No No
• Fencing Yes No No
• Football No No No
• Golf No Division 1 Yes
• Gymnastics Yes No No
• Lacrosse No No No
• Racquetball Yes No No
• Rock climbing Yes No No
• Rugby Yes No No
• Sailing Yes No No
• Soccer Yes No No
• Softball Yes Division 1 Yes
• Swimming Yes Division 1 Yes
• Table Tennis Yes No No
• Tennis Yes No No
• Track No Division 1 Yes
• Ultimate Frisbee Yes No No
• Volleyball Yes Division 1 Yes
• Water polo Yes No No
• Weight Lifting Yes No No
• Wrestling Yes No No

• Faculty Breakdown
• Total Faculty998
• Full-time Percentage83%
• Part-time Percentage17%
• Female Percentage43%
• Male Percentage57%
• Student:Faculty Ratio14:1 or 10,963 students to 802 faculty