How this school serves students from different economic backgrounds, including Pell students, first-generation pathways, and long-term mobility outcomes.
Illinois State University admits 88.1% of applicants, making it broadly accessible to students across Illinois and beyond. Among enrolled undergraduates, 32.1% receive Pell Grants and 29.6% are first-generation college students — a meaningful share that reflects the university's role as a gateway institution for families navigating higher education for the first time. Transfer students make up 29.7% of the incoming class, signaling that Illinois State University is a viable destination for students who begin their academic path elsewhere. Azimuth ranks Illinois State University #291 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. For students who enroll, Illinois State University delivers steady completion outcomes. The six-year graduation rate is 64.5%, and 65.8% of Pell-eligible students complete within that window — a figure that speaks to the university's ability to support cost-sensitive students through to a degree. Freshman retention stands at 81.4%. Low-income graduates earn median earnings of $47,000 on a historical ten-year Scorecard measure, placing this cohort in the 70.1 percentile for low-income graduate earnings among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Illinois State University #83 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. The access-versus-outcomes pattern here reflects a university that opens its doors broadly and converts that access into durable, if moderate, economic progress for graduates from lower-income backgrounds.
Illinois State University admits 88.1% of applicants, making it broadly accessible to students across Illinois and beyond. Among enrolled undergraduates, 32.1% receive Pell Grants and 29.6% are first-generation college students — a meaningful share that reflects the university's role as a gateway institution for families navigating higher education for the first time. Transfer students make up 29.7% of the incoming class, signaling that Illinois State University is a viable destination for students who begin their academic path elsewhere. Azimuth ranks Illinois State University #291 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. For students who enroll, Illinois State University delivers steady completion outcomes. The six-year graduation rate is 64.5%, and 65.8% of Pell-eligible students complete within that window — a figure that speaks to the university's ability to support cost-sensitive students through to a degree. Freshman retention stands at 81.4%. Low-income graduates earn median earnings of $47,000 on a historical ten-year Scorecard measure, placing this cohort in the 70.1 percentile for low-income graduate earnings among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Illinois State University #83 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. The access-versus-outcomes pattern here reflects a university that opens its doors broadly and converts that access into durable, if moderate, economic progress for graduates from lower-income backgrounds.
Illinois State University admits 88.1% of applicants, making it broadly accessible to students across Illinois and beyond. Among enrolled undergraduates, 32.1% receive Pell Grants and 29.6% are first-generation college students — a meaningful share that reflects the university's role as a gateway institution for families navigating higher education for the first time. Transfer students make up 29.7% of the incoming class, signaling that Illinois State University is a viable destination for students who begin their academic path elsewhere. Azimuth ranks Illinois State University #291 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. For students who enroll, Illinois State University delivers steady completion outcomes. The six-year graduation rate is 64.5%, and 65.8% of Pell-eligible students complete within that window — a figure that speaks to the university's ability to support cost-sensitive students through to a degree. Freshman retention stands at 81.4%. Low-income graduates earn median earnings of $47,000 on a historical ten-year Scorecard measure, placing this cohort in the 70.1 percentile for low-income graduate earnings among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Illinois State University #83 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. The access-versus-outcomes pattern here reflects a university that opens its doors broadly and converts that access into durable, if moderate, economic progress for graduates from lower-income backgrounds.
