COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · EDWARDSVILLE, IL

Is Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville degree clears +$1.40M in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Edwardsville, Illinois, priced as a Illinois resident — earnings rolled up from 34 FREOPP-reported programs.

IPEDS 2023 cost · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · same model as /worth-it · this school clears positive net value.

Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville · Edwardsville, IL

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$1.40M
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$56,491
Breaks even by age
44
Annual tuition · Illinois resident
$12,025
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$90,348
FREOPP program coverage
34 programs
How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and Illinois’s own cost-of-living on the skip-college path. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of going vs. skipping and investing the difference, in real dollars.

What it isn’t: a verdict on every major. The school-level number averages across 34 FREOPP-reported programs — the field you pick swings it by over a million dollars on its own. We only publish school pages that clear positive net value at resident pricing; earnings roll up from at least three FREOPP programs (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t fake the number.

Questions

Is Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville clears +$1.40M in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $90,348 and median earnings of $56,491 ten years after entry (IPEDS 2023 cost, FREOPP 2021 earnings, BEA 2023 cost-of-living — the same model as the LE TEEN calculator).
How much is tuition at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville?
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville's annual sticker tuition is $12,025 for Illinois residents, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $90,348 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville?
Over 4 years, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville's sticker cost of attendance is $90,348 — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Illinois prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $56,491.
How long until a Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville degree pays for itself?
The degree path overtakes the skip-college path around age 44 under our defaults — from there the gap only widens, ending +$1.40M ahead at the 30-year horizon.
What could change the number for Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville as a Illinois resident — non-resident tuition is a different trade (see the out-of-state tax in Illinois). And the major: the field you pick swings lifetime ROI by over a million dollars on its own (see the majors pages).

Keep going

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Is Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/southern-illinois-university-edwardsville