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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/southern-illinois-university-carbondale/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/southern-illinois-university-carbondale/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/southern-illinois-university-carbondale/admissions/)[Majors](/school/southern-illinois-university-carbondale/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/southern-illinois-university-carbondale/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does SIU cost after financial aid?

After grants and scholarships, the average aid recipient at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale pays $13,297, which is $771 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The published cost of attendance is $28,329, which includes in-state tuition and fees of $13,334 and room and board of $12,341.

Financial aid reduces the published cost by $15,032 on average. Azimuth ranks the university #301 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid recipients at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale pay $13,297 after grants and scholarships on average. That amount is $771 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 79th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $21,543 in federal student loans.

That debt is $314 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The lowest income band averages $9,415 after grants and scholarships, and the highest band averages $23,254.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, vary by family-income band. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $9,415; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $8,497; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $10,308; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $17,724; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $23,254.

Pell Grant recipients make up 38.8% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,839.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$9,415

**$30–48K**
$8,497

**$48–75K**
$10,308

**$75–110K**
$17,724

**$110K+**
$23,254

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$13,297**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

The sticker-to-net gap is $15,032, and aid covers about 53% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s range from $9,415 in the lowest income band to $23,254 in the highest, with $8,497, $10,308, and $17,724 in the bands between.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,839. Lower average net prices at lower incomes is the pattern one would expect from a need-based aid system.

The published cost of attendance at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is $28,329. Azimuth ranks the university #301 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $9,415, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $10,308, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $23,254. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,839.

Aid covers about 53% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the average net price across all bands to $13,297. That is $771 below the median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $21,543 in federal student loans, $314 above the peer median of $21,229. 86.8% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $19,500 in [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $245 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Borrowing is common at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale: 86.8% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and the median federal student debt for borrowers who complete a degree is $21,543. That median sits above the $21,229 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $314, a narrow gap.

For a separate population of parent borrowers, the median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loan is $19,500.

The investment picture at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is one of solid, middle-of-the-road earnings paired with a debt load that is typical for its peer group. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $61,484, at the 55th percentile nationally.

Graduates earn about $2,808 more than the model expects for similar students, placing the gap at the 65th percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $44,965 in a downside case to $85,380 in an upside case, with $61,484 as the typical outcome.

On the borrowing side, the median federal student debt at completion is $21,543, which is $314 above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $245 a month if repaid over ten years.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $19,500. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $245.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$19,500

**Estimated parent payment**
$248/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 14.6% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 6.6% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.1% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.0% | Safe |

The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. [Open the parent tool for your own numbers](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=southern-illinois-university-carbondale#parent-tool). [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$21,543

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$19,500

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$245/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$248/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$493/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $61,484, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**7.8%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=southern-illinois-university-carbondale#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.