Quad
Governors State UniversityUniversity Park, IL · Public

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Psychology, General (16% of graduates). 11 students for every faculty member, fewer than at 68% of colleges. 51% of faculty are full-time. Spends $13,036 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

606 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 53% of graduates; 28 programs in 15 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Psychology, General 42.010116% 98
    Graduates in this field earn $47,048 4 years out
  2. Business Administration and Management, General 52.020114% 84
    Graduates in this field earn $59,562 4 years out
  3. Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies 24.01019.7% 59
    Graduates in this field earn $50,703 4 years out
  4. Computer Science 11.07016.8% 41
    Graduates in this field earn $79,154 4 years out
  5. Criminal Justice/Safety Studies 43.01046.4% 39
    Graduates in this field earn $55,811 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Computer science, 3.5% → 11% of graduates since 2014–15 (67 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$88,391 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $80,391

    4 years after completion$88,391
    National median: $88,910About typical

    4 years out, Pell: $104,780 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $12,500 · 26 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Computer Science$79,154 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $52,115

    4 years after completion$79,154
    National median: $107,009Below typical

    Median federal debt: $15,750 · 56 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Computer and Information Sciences, General$70,895 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $48,567

    4 years after completion$70,895
    National median: $92,374Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: $58,907 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $15,000 · 58 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Accounting and Related Services$61,223 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $47,836

    4 years after completion$61,223
    National median: $76,194Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: $55,174 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $18,750 · 88 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Business Administration, Management and Operations$59,562 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $44,436

    4 years after completion$59,562
    National median: $68,257Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: $55,144 · Non-Pell: $62,083(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $17,885 · 183 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college11 to 1
11 to 1
← Fewer students per facultyfewer students per faculty member than 68% of 1,892More students per faculty →

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Full-time faculty51%
National median: 67%Below typical
Average faculty salary

$78,557

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other public colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable. Many public universities' endowments sit mostly in a separate foundation this survey doesn't count, so this likely understates what's actually available.

Instruction spending per student$13,036
$13,036
← Lessmore than 67% of 557More →
Endowment per student$834
$834
← Lessmore than 4% of 537More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)