Governors State University — All Rankings Are Wrong

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Basic Information

Type Public

Geographical Reach Regional

Location University Park, IL

Population 3,500,000

Website http://www.govst.edu/

Weather

Comfortable Days 105 (50%)

Sunshine Hours 2,508 (33%)

Days Without Precipitation 241 (39%)

Demographics

Total Undergraduates 1,990

Men / Women 38% / 62%

From State 97%

From Region 1%

Athletes 17.3%

Racial/Ethnic

Black 38%

White 30%

Hispanic 19%

Mixed 5%

International 3%

Asian 2%

Native American 0%

Men in the Entering Class

Men

Entering Class by Race & Ethnicity

Native Asian Black Hispanic White International

Share of the full-time first-time degree-seeking cohort. Groups IPEDS reports separately — two or more races, and race unknown — are left out, so the lines don't sum to 100%.

Enrolled Undergraduates by Race & Ethnicity

Native Asian Black Hispanic White International

Share of all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates, not just the entering class. Same excluded groups as above.

IPEDS Admissions (2011–2024), Graduation Rates (2011–2024) and 12-month Enrollment (2020–2025) surveys. Years a college didn't file leave a gap in the line.

Schools & Majors

⇅	Degrees	Male/Female	Intl	Earnings	ROI	Employment
Governors State University	606	37% / 63%	4%	$55,395	67	90%
Computer Science	41 —	73% / 27%	7%	$76,724	90	89%
Information Technology	26 —	88% / 12%	4%	$61,371	77	96%
Chemistry	2 —	50% / 50%	0%	$62,301	78	—
Mathematics	9 —	22% / 78%	11%	$58,456	73	—
Biology	18 —	39% / 61%	6%	$61,819	77	94%
Communication Sciences and Disorders	10 —	0% / 100%	0%	$52,979	62	92%
Community Health	26 —	15% / 85%	0%	$47,122	48	94%
Nursing	11 —	18% / 82%	0%	$106,497	99	94%
Accounting	38 —	58% / 42%	5%	$63,818	80	96%
Business Administration	84 —	49% / 51%	13%	$57,178	71	89%
Economics	3 —	67% / 33%	0%	$61,668	77	—
Health Administration	17 —	6% / 94%	6%	$62,863	79	90%
Medical Informatics	1 —	100% / 0%	0%	$60,098	75	—
Operations Management	6 —	33% / 67%	0%	$57,178	71	89%
Communication	11 —	18% / 82%	0%	$51,699	59	90%
English	6 —	67% / 33%	0%	$47,557	49	96%
Ethnic Studies	— —	—	—	$47,830	50	—
Liberal Studies	59 —	36% / 64%	0%	$43,062	36	89%
Mass Communication	4 —	75% / 25%	0%	$51,699	59	90%
Political Science	6 —	50% / 50%	17%	$55,921	68	—
Psychology	98 —	20% / 80%	3%	$51,197	58	90%
Social Sciences	3 —	100% / 0%	0%	$48,473	51	—
Social Work	25 —	12% / 88%	4%	$47,381	48	89%
Sociology and Anthropology	4 —	25% / 75%	0%	$47,932	50	—
Early Childhood Education	20 —	5% / 95%	10%	$43,064	36	87%
Elementary Education	20 —	5% / 95%	0%	$43,064	36	87%
Art	16 —	56% / 44%	0%	$41,126	30	—
Theater	3 —	67% / 33%	0%	$39,853	26	—
Criminal Justice	39 —	33% / 67%	0%	$58,400	73	90%

Financial

In-State Tuition & Fees $12,611

Out-of-State Tuition & Fees $12,771

Est. In-State Cost $16,314

Est. Out-of-State Cost $16,521

ROI Percentile 67th

Retention & Graduation

Full-Time Retention 56%

4-Year Graduation Rate 12%

6-Year Graduation Rate 22%

Transfer-Out Rate 39%

Six-Year Graduation Rate

Graduated

Students finishing within 150% of normal time. Each year labels the cohort that entered six years earlier — 2024 tracks the class that started in 2018.

Six-Year Graduation Rate by Gender

Men Women

IPEDS reports the cohort as men and women only.

Six-Year Graduation Rate by Race & Ethnicity

Asian Black Hispanic White International

Each group's completers over its own share of the entering cohort. Groups making up less than 2% of everyone this college graduated over the period are left off — their rates swing on a handful of students and read as noise.

IPEDS Graduation Rates survey, 2011–2024. Years a college didn't file leave a gap in the line.

Earnings by Major Category

Each major category's degree-weighted estimated median 5-year earnings at this college, expressed as a z-score against the national degree-weighted distribution for that category. 0 is the national average. The shaded band between +1.28 and −1.28 marks the central 80% of the national distribution (10th–90th percentile).

Academics

⇅	%	Degrees	Male/Female	Intl	Earnings	ROI	Employment
Humanities & Social Sciences	35.6%	216	28% / 72%	2%	$48,500	51	90%
Business & Economics	24.6%	149	46% / 54%	9%	$59,630	75	91%
Computer Science	11.1%	67	79% / 21%	6%	$70,766	86	92%
Health Sciences	7.8%	47	13% / 87%	0%	$62,264	78	94%
Education	6.6%	40	5% / 95%	5%	$43,064	36	87%
Professional	6.4%	39	33% / 67%	0%	$58,400	73	90%
Arts	3.1%	19	58% / 42%	0%	$40,925	29	—
Life & Natural Sciences	3.0%	18	39% / 61%	6%	$61,819	77	94%
Physical Sciences & Math	1.8%	11	27% / 73%	9%	$59,155	74	—

Research

⇅	Research $	Rank	Federal	Industry $	PhDs	Rank	PhD students	Postdocs
Business & Economics	—	—	—	—	8	#150	—	—
Education	—	—	—	—	6	#378	—	—
Agriculture & Food Science	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Computer Science	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Engineering	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Health Sciences	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Humanities & Social Sciences	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Life & Natural Sciences	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Physical Sciences & Math	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total	—	—	—	—	14	#431	—	—

Expenditure and funding source: NSF HERD, FY2024. Degrees: IPEDS completions, 2023–24. Students and postdocs: NSF Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates, fall 2024, which covers science, engineering and selected health fields only. An em dash means the source does not report the figure, which is not the same as zero.

Admissions

Uses Common App Yes

Acceptance Rate 52%

Yield (Unbound) 16%

Regular Decision Jan 1

Acceptance Rates

	In-State	Out-of-State	International
Regular Decision	52%	52%	52%

Acceptance & Yield

Acceptance Yield

Applicants, Admitted & Enrolled

Applicants Admitted Enrolled

IPEDS Admissions survey, 2011–2024. Years a college didn't file leave a gap in the line.

Standardized Tests

Test Policy optional

SAT Composite

25th 75th

SAT Math

25th 75th

SAT Reading & Writing

25th 75th

Submitting a Test Score

Submitted

IPEDS Admissions survey, 2011–2024. Years a college didn't file leave a gap in the line. Test-score submission adds SAT and ACT submitters, capped at 100% — a student can send both.

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Basic Information

Weather

Demographics

Racial/Ethnic

Men in the Entering Class

Entering Class by Race & Ethnicity

Enrolled Undergraduates by Race & Ethnicity

Schools & Majors

Financial

Retention & Graduation

Six-Year Graduation Rate

Six-Year Graduation Rate by Gender

Six-Year Graduation Rate by Race & Ethnicity

Earnings by Major Category

Academics

Research

Admissions

Acceptance Rates

Acceptance & Yield

Applicants, Admitted & Enrolled

Standardized Tests

Published SAT Distribution

SAT Composite

SAT Math

SAT Reading & Writing

Submitting a Test Score