Southern Illinois University, Carbondale Admission
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale Undergraduate Program
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale Application

The Facts

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, is a rather large public school that is part of the larger Southern Illinois University system which includes several campuses throughout the Southern region of the state. The Carbondale campus is home to over 15,000 undergraduate students and approximately 6,000 graduate and part-time professional students. The students are able to take courses in one of the university’s 8 undergraduate schools or 3 graduate schools, which include programs in the areas of the applied sciences and arts, agricultural science, business and administration, education, human services, engineering, liberal arts, mass communication, media arts, as well as general science. These academic divisions offer broad majors in the areas of agriculture, biological science, (which includes a unique avian science major) business, (a large program with many specific sectors, including a rather bizarre major in funeral home services) communications and the arts, computer and physical science, education, engineering and environmental design, health professions, as well as the social sciences. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, offers its students an incredibly wide range of majors in both the liberal arts and preprofessional studies, however, some of the most popular with students include majors in the areas of law, education, medicine, business, psychology, radio and television, as well as workforce education and development.

Admission to Southern Illinois University, Carbondale is the most competitive of all the SIU campuses, as it offers the widest range of programs. Last year, over 8,600 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 6,500 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 2,500 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming Fall semester. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1070 to 1115, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 22 to 30. Additionally, more than 53% of those admitted were ranked in the top 10% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about a 3.5.

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale has a very manageable student to faculty ratio of 16:1, which is remarkable, considering the size of the school. There are some general education courses that are held in lecture halls, but they are usually supplemented by a seminar course where students get the chance to discuss the content of the previous lecture in small groups.

The Social Scene

The town of Carbondale is quite rural, and therefore doesn’t really offer students much in the way of entertainment, however, some students make the 96 mile drive down to the city of St. Louis, Missouri, on the weekends to take advantage of the urban atmosphere. The university is home to 17 local and national fraternities and sororities, and many students join a Greek organization at some point during their college career. Their weekend soirees are quite popular with students, and drinking is definitely the most prevalent form of social interaction.

The dating scene is a wild one; expect to be escorted to lots and lots of keg parties... romantic, no?

What’s Good

“Even though this school is pretty darn big, our classes are pretty darn small. Now that’s what I call an oxymoron.”

“The parties here are out of this world! There may be nothing to do elsewhere, but on campus, things are hot!”

“The facilities here are great, especially if you are in a major that requires a lot of research.”

What’s Bad

“We are literally out in the middle of nowhere. There’s nothing to do besides tipping cows, which isn’t very nice for the bovines.”

“There are a lot of really close-minded people here, which makes discussions kind of difficult.”

“I wish there weren’t quite so many parties. It makes it very tricky to focus on your studies.”

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