Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Suburban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Governors State University

Students comparing Governors State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
University Park, Illinois2,556 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 33Public universitySmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Governors State University: Washington Monthly ranks it #617 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #634 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 2,556 undergraduates, admits 48.3% of applicants, and posts a 22.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $12,004; aid recipients pay $12,329 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $58,169.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
48.3%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$12,329

48% below the $23,740 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$58,169

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
22.1%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$18,618

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedGovernors State University did not report an SAT score range for its most recent entering class.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Governors State ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National universities, liberal arts, regional and specialty listsNot ranked by this source
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#617of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#634of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Governors State's position moves 17 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Governors State

Governors State University is a public institution in University Park, Illinois. Federal data show 56.2% first-year retention and a 11:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $12,329 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $23,740 sticker cost against $12,329 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Governors State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$12,004

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$12,004

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$11,736

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $23,740 a year, but the average family pays $12,329 — a 48% difference. 53.6% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Governors State's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    11:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    56.2%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    2,556

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Governors State: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $12,004 and on-campus room and board is $11,736, for a published total of $23,740 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $12,329.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 48.3%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Indiana University-East

    Richmond, INPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Indiana University-East: U.S. News ranks it #109 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #332 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #250 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars. It enrolls 2,589 undergraduates, admits 67.2% of applicants, and posts a 39.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $22,811; aid recipients pay $8,134 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $47,156.

    Acceptance rate
    67.2%
    Average net price
    $8,134
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $47,156
    6-yr graduation rate
    39.6%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#109 of 165Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#332 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#250 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    2,589 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 33 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Emporia State University

    Emporia, KSPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Emporia State University: U.S. News ranks it #82 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #545 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #385 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 2,239 undergraduates, admits 97.7% of applicants, and posts a 56.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $15,419; aid recipients pay $16,261 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $47,601.

    Acceptance rate
    97.7%
    Average net price
    $16,261
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $47,601
    6-yr graduation rate
    56.1%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#82 of 165Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#545 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#385 of 2,605

    2,239 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 34 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Valley City State University

    Valley City, NDPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Valley City State University: U.S. News ranks it #24 on Regional Colleges (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #964 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #369 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars. It enrolls 958 undergraduates, admits 99.1% of applicants, and posts a 53.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $13,544; aid recipients pay $11,890 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $52,725.

    Acceptance rate
    99.1%
    Average net price
    $11,890
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $52,725
    6-yr graduation rate
    53.3%
    US News · Regional colleges (Midwest)#24 of 94Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#964 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#369 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    958 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 35 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Governors State against these