Governors State University
Public College in University Park, IL. Six-year graduation rate 22%. Median 10-year earnings $58,169.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $58,169 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. Only 22% finish within six years, so roughly four in five students leave without the credential they enrolled for. Graduates carry a median of $18,618 in debt — in line with the national norm.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.32 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 22% — below national average
Admissions
Governors State University admits 48% of applicants and is genuinely selective — roughly one in two applicants are turned away. The applicant pool runs to 2,944, typical for a school of this reach. A 17% yield rate is low: the admitted pool is much larger than the entering class.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Governors State University →Academics
A six-year graduation rate of 22% means finishing is closer to the exception than the rule. 56% first-year retention is low enough to be the defining risk of enrolling here. The distance between those two figures is the part worth noticing — students return for a second year at a much higher rate than they graduate, so attrition here is spread across the middle years rather than concentrated in the first. With 39% transferring out, this functions substantially as a stepping stone. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 38% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,518 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $12,756 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. The income table below is the number that matters — $9,563 at $0–30k versus $22,076 at $110k+. About 73% get grants averaging $11,149, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. About 39% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 249 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $9,563 |
| $30–48k | $10,933 |
| $48–75k | $11,705 |
| $75–110k | $16,741 |
| $110k+ | $22,076 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 973 of these 2,518 students, totalling $6,851,984 — an average of $7,042 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Will County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)