About SIUC

From its humble beginnings as the state’s second teachers college — founded in 1869 with a dozen academic departments and an inaugural class of 143 – Southern Illinois University Carbondale now ranks among Illinois’ most comprehensive public universities.

Each year, some 21,000 students enroll in 186 academic programs seeking associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral and professional degrees in law and medicine.

Think of a specialty and chances are good we offer a degree in that subject — and we’re affordable.

Among our academic programs you’ll find agriculture, art, aviation, automotive technology, anthropology, business, cinema-photography, computer science, education, engineering, foreign language study, forestry, history, journalism, music, political science, radio-television, social work, recreation, rehabilitation — just to mention a few.

Students flock to our academic programs and while they’re here, they fall in love with our lush, rural landscapes and welcoming hospitality.

Surrounded by forests, fields, lakes and bluffs, SIUC is a regional nucleus of academic, creative and cultural endeavors. The region is an outdoor paradise for boaters, rock climbers, hikers, nature lovers, hunters and horseback riders.

Back on campus, a quick look at our student body shows:

• More than 30 percent of our freshmen come from Cook County.
• We are diverse. A total of 21 percent of our students are members of a minority group.
• Students from more than 100 nations — from Albania to Zimbabwe — study on campus.
• An average 79 percent of students come from Illinois; and just over half, 55 percent, are men.

SIUC enjoys a rating as one of nation’s premier research institutions in rankings by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Southern Illinois University Carbondale is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, religion, national origin or sex in violation of Title VII.