+19%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at Governors State University rose 19% between 2021 and 2024 ($10.1k → $12.0k).
Illinois · Public · Predominantly bachelor's
Governors State University
University Park, Illinois. 2,518 undergraduate students. 72 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
Earnings, completion, debt, and enrollment anomalies at Governors State University
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at Governors State University fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (2.5% → 0.0%).
+40%
150%-time completion
150%-time completion at Governors State University rose 40% between 2021 and 2024 (15.8% → 22.1%).
-32%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at Governors State University fell 32% between 2021 and 2024 ($17.6k → $12.0k).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
Governors State University earnings, debt, and completion vs. the Illinois median
Each tile compares this institution to the Illinois median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$58,169+28% · 6→10y
Illinois median $40,810$45,435
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry19.6%-9% · '20→'24
Illinois median 53.3%$14,000+396% · '97→'20
At program completion2,518+4% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS59.4%-4% · '15→'24
first-time, full-time—-49% · '14→'24
latest cohort$11,320+28% · '14→'24
out-of-state $11,320SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How Governors State University earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings at Governors State University
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
3.2%Median federal debt $14,000 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $58,169 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Governors State University enrollment, completion, and debt over time
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+396%
Governors State University · median debt rose
$3,750 → $18,618
-100%
Governors State University · cohort default rate fell
3.9% → 0.0%
+78%
Governors State University · pell share rose
30.1% → 53.6%
+35%
Governors State University · earnings_median_10yr rose
$43,100 → $58,169
+31%
Governors State University · earnings_median_8yr rose
$40,300 → $52,619
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Governors State University programs ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$109,637Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$107,166Business Administration, Management and Operations$97,774Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions$91,005Accounting and Related Services$83,903Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions$74,981Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology$68,831Accounting and Related Services$64,348Special Education and Teaching$64,122Health and Medical Administrative Services$63,258Biology, General$62,132Computer and Information Sciences, General$62,049Communication Disorders Sciences and Services$60,544Criminal Justice and Corrections$58,832Social Work$58,209Business Administration, Management and Operations$57,653Communication and Media Studies$54,105Communication Disorders Sciences and Services$53,312Communication and Media Studies$52,179Psychology, General$51,616Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions$49,666English Language and Literature, General$47,928Social Work$47,709Public Health$47,418
Showing top 24 of 27 ranked programs.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
27 Governors State University programs with earnings, grouped by field
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11
EDUCATION · CIP 13
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE · CIP 23
LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
HOMELAND SECURITY & PROTECTIVE SERVICES · CIP 43
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIAL SERVICES · CIP 44
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
Public Health$47,418Communication Disorders Sciences and Services$60,544Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$107,166Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions$49,666Health and Medical Administrative Services$63,258Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions$74,981Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$109,637Communication Disorders Sciences and Services$53,312Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions$91,005
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM · CIP 09
FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION
Estimate the financial outcome at Governors State University
Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.
Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.
NET PRESENT VALUE
$64,365
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 26
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
- Cost per year
- $11,856
- HS-only baseline · IL
- $38,300
- Years to complete
- 4
- CIP family
- 24
Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Institutions similar to Governors State University in Illinois
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Governors State University graduates earn $X” — not “Governors State University makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Governors State University caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.