Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (SIU) vs Aurora University

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (SIU-C) and Aurora University (AU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique educational experiences. SIU-C, a public research university, boasts a sprawling campus in the heart of Southern Illinois, while AU, a private institution, resides in the vibrant city of Aurora, Illinois. With acceptance rates of 88% and 75%, respectively, both universities welcome a diverse student body. SIU-C's larger student population of over 11,000 offers a bustling campus atmosphere, while AU's more intimate community of around 3,000 fosters a close-knit learning environment. While SIU-C excels in fields like engineering, business, and agriculture, AU shines in nursing, education, and social work. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Aurora University logo

Aurora University

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale logo

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Overview

Location Aurora, Illinois Carbondale, Illinois
Campus setting Suburb: Large City: Small
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Public
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 78.0% 75.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 86.4% 95.1%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $40

Graduate: $65
SAT range 960 - 1130 930 - 1160
ACT range 19 - 24 20 - 28
Students submitting SAT score 35.0% 43.0%
Students submitting ACT score 14.0% 18.0%
Total number of applicants 3,101 6,987
Total number of admissions given out 2,680 6,648
Admitted students who chose to enroll 822 1,422
Yield rate 30.7% 21.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $35,160 $29,903
Average net price $17,410 $15,976
Tuition $26,400 $9,638
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $6,840

Meal plan: $5,440
Room/dormitory: $6,292

Meal plan: $4,330
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Other alternative tuition plan
  • Guaranteed tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

99.0%
Average amount $18,441
91.0%
Average amount $13,301
Students receiving federal student loan 56.0%
Average amount $4,944
55.0%
Average amount $5,362
Students taking out private loans 4.0%
Average amount $12,101
8.0%
Average amount $12,619

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 4,114
Men 33.6% Women 66.4%
8,147
Men 51.4% Women 48.6%
Graduate students 2,051
Men 20.7% Women 79.3%
3,119
Men 46.3% Women 53.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students 23.4% 17.5%
International students 0.5% 7.7%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Large City: Small
Dormitory capacity 641 4,492
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Illinois Wisconsin Indiana Texas California Illinois Missouri Indiana Tennessee Wisconsin

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Education
  • Health Professions
  • Business
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Engineering Technologies
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Transportation and Logistics
Students to faculty ratio 20:1 10:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 55.4% 45.3%
Dropout rate 43.8% 53.2%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,923
  • Year 2: $65,238
  • Year 3: $70,820
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,230
  • Year 2: $66,941
  • Year 3: $65,026
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,536
  • Year 2: $62,661
  • Year 3: $64,344
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,727
  • Year 2: $67,101
  • Year 3: $62,891
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $50,719
  • Year 2: $47,200
  • Year 3: $60,344
Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $47,889
  • Year 2: $50,105
  • Year 3: $56,830
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,853
  • Year 2: $47,260
  • Year 3: $55,663
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $52,464
  • Year 3: $55,626
Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,398
  • Year 2: $50,105
  • Year 3: $53,070
Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $43,164
  • Year 2: $46,087
  • Year 3: $52,090
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $101,053
  • Year 2: $104,597
  • Year 3: $108,594
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $65,138
  • Year 2: $65,905
  • Year 3: $75,851
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,097
  • Year 2: $64,068
  • Year 3: $70,959
Medicine (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $55,319
  • Year 2: $57,318
  • Year 3: $66,942
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $54,274
  • Year 2: $58,673
  • Year 3: $66,280
Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,465
  • Year 2: $58,221
  • Year 3: $62,788
Architecture (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $52,426
  • Year 2: $53,219
  • Year 3: $62,608
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $57,372
  • Year 2: $55,211
  • Year 3: $62,306
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $52,213
  • Year 2: $55,061
  • Year 3: $62,169
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $49,024
  • Year 2: $49,840
  • Year 3: $62,089

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
Aurora University Aurora University vs Blessing Rieman College of Nursing and Health Sciences Blessing Rieman College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Aurora University Aurora University vs The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago
Aurora University Aurora University vs National Louis University National Louis University
Aurora University Aurora University vs Olivet Nazarene University Olivet Nazarene University
Aurora University Aurora University vs Trinity Christian College Trinity Christian College
Aurora University Aurora University vs Clarke University Clarke University
Aurora University Aurora University vs Saint Ambrose University Saint Ambrose University
Aurora University Aurora University vs Andrews University Andrews University
Aurora University Aurora University vs Fontbonne University Fontbonne University
Aurora University Aurora University vs Ashland University Ashland University
Aurora University Aurora University vs The University of Findlay The University of Findlay
Aurora University Aurora University vs Gannon University Gannon University
Aurora University Aurora University vs Cardinal Stritch University Cardinal Stritch University
Aurora University Aurora University vs Edgewood College Edgewood College
Aurora University Aurora University vs Lakeland University Lakeland University
Aurora University Aurora University vs Chamberlain University-Illinois Chamberlain University-Illinois
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Aurora University Aurora University
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Tricoci University of Beauty Culture Tricoci University of Beauty Culture
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs DePaul University DePaul University
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs College of DuPage College of DuPage
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Elmhurst University Elmhurst University
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Governors State University Governors State University
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Benedictine University Benedictine University
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Illinois State University Illinois State University
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Lewis University Lewis University
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs North Central College North Central College
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Northwestern University Northwestern University
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Northeastern Illinois University Northeastern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Roosevelt University Roosevelt University
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs University of St Francis University of St Francis
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Waubonsee Community College Waubonsee Community College
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Western Illinois University Western Illinois University
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Iowa State University Iowa State University
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs University of Louisiana at Lafayette University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs South Dakota State University South Dakota State University
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs University of South Dakota University of South Dakota
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Texas State University Texas State University
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Brigham Young University Brigham Young University
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs University of Vermont University of Vermont
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale SIU vs Old Dominion University Old Dominion University