by our College Data Analytics TeamThis overview covers the essential stats on Illinois State University Graduate School, including its rankings, graduate degree programs, diversity, and more. You can jump to any section of this page using the following list.
College Factual began publishing its yearly rankings to help students identify graduate schools that put a high emphasis on educational quality as well as helping students succeed.Factors that go into these rankings include how much money students make after graduation, the number of FTE students per instructor, and how much debt students take on to attend the school.
Out of the 4,630 colleges and universities analyzed in College Factual’s 2026 Best Master’s Degree Schools in the U.S. ranking, Illinois State University took the #103 spot.Illinois State also ranked #4 for Best Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois.
Illinois State was ranked #103 in the 2026 Best Doctorate Schools in the United States ranking out of the 4,630 schools that were included in the ranking.So, the school is among the best in the nation with its Top 15% ranking.Illinois State was awarded this year’s Best Doctorate Schools badge for this accomplishment.For the Best Doctorate Degree Schools in Illinois, Illinois State came in at #4.
### Best Graduate Certificate Schools RankingIllinois State ranked #103 in College Factual’s 2026 Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the United States ranking, out of 4,630 schools. Illinois State also ranked #4 for Best Graduate Certificate Schools in Illinois.
Out of 4,630 schools analyzed in the 2026 Best Graduate Schools in the United States ranking, Illinois State came in at #103. Illinois State also ranked #4 for Best Graduate Schools in Illinois.
During the most recent year for which data is available, 2,439 graduate students attended Illinois State University.In order to come up with a feel for how diverse the school is, College Factual analyzed the demographics of these students.Our findings are below.
Women make up 70.2% of the total graduate student body at Illinois State while men make up 29.8%. These percentages may be different for specific degree programs.
About 19.4% of the graduate students who attend Illinois State are from a racial-ethnic minority group*.The school attracts students from outside the U.S., too. Around 18.2% of graduate students hail from another country.For more details on graduate school diversity at the school, check out the chart below. If you click on it, you’ll be taken to a page with more details.
The average tuition and fees for full-time graduate students is not available due to a lack of data.
The typical graduate student at Illinois State who borrowed carries a median debt of $21,895.
The average early-career salary for master’s degree recipients from Illinois State is $73,034.
Yearly salaries vary depending on the field of study, but the table below shows the highest-earning graduate fields of study at Illinois State based on the early-career earnings of recent graduates.
| Graduate Field of Study | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|
| Nursing | $120,079 |
| Business Administration & Management | $99,585 |
| Accounting | $95,606 |
| Communication Sciences | $66,546 |
| Communication & Media Studies | $65,027 |
| Social Work | $65,003 |
| Industrial Production Technology | $59,889 |
| Health & Physical Education | $58,661 |
| Mathematics | $56,035 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | $52,475 |
Illinois State University is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois.Illinois State is located in a safe and convenient suburb. Get more details about the location of Illinois State University.
Contact details for Illinois State are given below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | North and School Streets, Normal, IL 61790-1000 |
| Phone: | 309-438-2111 |
| Website: | illinoisstate.edu/ |
| Facebook: | illinoisstate.edu/Facebook |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/IllinoisStateU |
Around 49.4% of Illinois State graduate students took at least one course online.Roughly 36.2% of all grad students took courses exclusively online.
Listed here are the degree programs in which the school awarded master’s degrees.
Just like the master’s degree programs, only programs that had doctorate degrees awarded are shown here.
| Doctorate Degree Program | Annual Graduates | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical & Counseling Psychology | 4 | — |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 2 | — |
| Educational Administration | 23 | — |
| General Biology | 7 | — |
| General English Literature | 8 | — |
| Special Education | 2 | — |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 2 | — |
Only the programs in which a graduate certificate was awarded are shown here.
| Graduate Certificate Program | Annual Graduates | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration & Management | 12 | — |
| Computer Software Applications | 70 | — |
| Computer Systems Analysis | 10 | — |
| Dietetics & Nutrition Services | 32 | — |
| Ethnic Studies | 14 | — |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 3 | — |
| Gerontology | 1 | — |
| Information Technology | 3 | — |
| Library & Information Science | 7 | — |
| Management Sciences & Methods | 26 | — |
| Nursing | 77 | — |
| Quality Control Technology | 6 | — |
| Security Science and Technology. | 4 | — |
| Social Work | 1 | — |
| Special Education | 38 | — |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 3 | — |
Listed here are the programs in which Illinois State University awarded a professional degree.
| Professional Degree Program | Annual Graduates | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Communication Sciences | 6 | — |
| Nursing | 5 | — |
Listed here are the programs in which Illinois State University awarded a post-masters certificate.
| Post-Masters Certificate Program | Annual Graduates | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical & Counseling Psychology | 7 | — |
| Educational Administration | 13 | — |
| Nursing | 6 | — |
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References