Governors State University

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, Governors State University reported sticker charges of $11,190 for both in-state and out-of-state tuition in the 2026-27 academic year. Required fees were $4,616, and on-campus food and housing were $12,129.

The published cost of attendance is $24,227. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $12,329, with average aid savings of $11,898 against that published cost.

For comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $14,068, placing the university $1,739 below it. Azimuth places Governors State University in the 89th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Its lower average net price than peers and that affordability standing point in the same direction.

The published cost of attendance at Governors State University is $24,227. Azimuth ranks the university #163 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $9,563, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $11,705, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $22,076. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,513.

Aid covers about 49% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $11,898 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $12,329, which is $1,739 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $18,618 in federal student loans. That is $2,611 below the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions.

81.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $13,991.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $212 a month.

Access is Governors State University strongest pillar, but return is weaker. Azimuth places its return pillar in the 29th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $5,141 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations—the gap between graduate earnings and the model expectation for similar students—are in the 36th percentile in that set.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,913. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $8,054.

Federally aided completers working and not enrolled earn a median of $56,405 four years after completion, in the 37th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301; earnings are $896 below it. The model result and peer comparison point different ways.

The earnings picture is modest for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. At Governors State University, median earnings are $56,405 four years after completion, drawn from an earnings cohort of 850 completers.

Azimuth puts those earnings in the 37th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios based on the program mix place typical earnings at $56,405, with a downside scenario of $47,107 and an upside scenario of $69,165.

These are scenarios, not observed graduate groups. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, offer a separate check on the result.

Graduates earn about $5,141 less than the model expects for similar students. An estimated 26.1% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.

The earnings record at Governors State University begins with median earnings of $56,405 four years after completion, in the 37th percentile. Comparable institutions, meaning those in the same type and size, have a peer median of $57,301; the university is $896 below that mark.

Graduates earn about $5,141 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, falls in the 36th percentile.

Azimuth puts the return pillar in the 29th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from $47,107 in the downside scenario to $69,165 in the upside scenario.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,913. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $8,054.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $964. Program earnings vary across the fields with published results.

Liberal Arts and General Studies is the largest program, with 103 degrees awarded and median earnings of $50,703 four years after completion. Computer Science had 31 degrees awarded and median earnings of $79,154 four years after completion.

The largest field and the higher-earning fields show different figures across the program mix.

Program-level outcomes extend both below and above the university’s modeled scenario band. The program-mix earnings scenarios range from $47,107 on the downside to $69,165 on the upside, and they are models rather than observed graduate groups.

At Governors State University, prices and borrowing sit below comparable benchmarks, even though the model’s expectation comparison is unfavorable. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $12,329, below the $14,068 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,739.

Across family-income bands, average net price is $9,563 in the lowest band, $10,933 in the next band, $11,705 in the middle band, $16,741 in the next-highest band, and $22,076 in the highest band. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $18,618, below the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $21,229 by $2,611.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $212 a month if repaid over ten years. Graduates earn about $5,141 less than the model expects for similar students. Below-peer prices and debt point one way, but expected earnings point another.

Governors State University admitted 48.3% of applicants to its reported entering class, so the rate records an outcome for a particular applicant pool rather than a forecast for an individual. That figure is below the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The reported rate summarizes that year's pool rather than predicting an individual decision.

The largest programs at Governors State University sit in fields with moderate earnings, while the highest pay comes from a much smaller program. Liberal Arts and General Studies awards 103 degrees a year and graduates earn a median of $50,703 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #110 nationally in its field. Business Administration and Management and Psychology each award 87 degrees, with medians of $59,562 and $47,048 respectively.

Accounting graduates earn $61,223 from 48 degrees a year, ranking #239 nationally. The highest earnings belong to Nursing, at $88,391, but it awards only 17 degrees a year.

Computer Science follows at $79,154 from 31 degrees, ranking #171 nationally. The earnings picture is split: the programs that pay best are not the ones producing the most graduates.

Governors State University has 12 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, and the strongest of them sit in health and social services. Health and Medical Administrative Services ranks #64 in its field, with 22 degrees awarded and median earnings of $53,227 four years after completion.

Social Work follows at #80 nationally, from 22 degrees a year. The largest programs tell a different story.

Liberal Arts and General Studies awards the most degrees at 103, and its completers earn a median of $50,703. Business Administration and Management and Psychology are close behind, each at 87 degrees.

The highest earnings come from a smaller program. Nursing graduates earn $88,391, from 17 degrees a year. Computer Science is next at $79,154, with 31 degrees awarded.

Governors State University awards bachelor's degrees across 12 ranked programs, with earnings data available for 15. The largest program family is Business, accounting for 20.9% of degrees awarded, followed by Liberal Arts & General Studies at 15.9% and Health Professions at 14.5%.

The largest single programs are Liberal Arts and General Studies with 103 degrees awarded, Business Administration and Management and Psychology each at 87, and Criminal Justice at 55. The highest-ranked program is Health and Medical Administrative Services, which Azimuth ranks #64 nationally within its field and #6 in Illinois.

The program awards 22 degrees a year, and graduates earn a median of $53,227 four years after completion. Social Work also ranks well, at #80 nationally and #5 in Illinois, with 22 degrees awarded and median earnings of $56,123.

The highest-earning program is Nursing, where graduates earn $88,391 four years out, though it is a smaller program at 17 degrees awarded. Computer Science follows at $79,154 from 31 degrees, and Azimuth ranks it #171 nationally and #13 in Illinois within its field.

Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn $70,895, with a state rank of #5 in Illinois. The program mix is concentrated in professional fields, with 15.8% of degrees awarded in STEM.

The strongest ranks sit in health and human-service programs rather than in the largest or best-paid ones. A student drawn to Business or Liberal Arts & General Studies should know that the highest earnings come from a much smaller program in Nursing.