Illinois State University

What are the graduation rates for students at Illinois State University?

Illinois State's reported six-year graduation rate is 65%, while its four-year rate is 49%. These measures track a defined cohort of first-time, full-time students seeking a bachelor's degree; they do not describe every transfer, part-time, or graduate student.

The gap between the four- and six-year figures matters for budgeting. Some students finish after the fourth year, which can add tuition and living expenses even when they ultimately earn a degree. The reported first-year retention rate is 81%, meaning roughly four in five students in its measured cohort returned for the following year. Neither measure explains why an individual student stays, leaves, or takes longer to graduate. A prospective student can get a more relevant estimate by checking the course sequence and expected time to completion for a specific major.

What is the earning potential for graduates at Illinois State University?

Federal College Scorecard field-of-study figures offer a limited view of earnings about one year after completion for graduates represented in its federally aided earnings records. They are not starting-salary offers, and they do not predict what every graduate in a major will make.

Among Illinois State programs with reported figures, the one-year median is about $68,000 for computer science, $63,829 for registered nursing, and $54,480 for accounting. The corresponding figure for psychology is $28,754. Comparisons across fields need context: occupations, further study, geographic location, hours worked, and the availability of earnings records can all affect what a number means. Some graduates also enter fields where an advanced degree or license is an important step, so a one-year figure is an incomplete measure of longer-term outcomes.