Earlier this week, President Biden unveiled an action on student debt forgiveness. As part of our commitment to our campus community, Southern Illinois University Carbondale is advising Salukis to visit The Biden-Harris Administration's Student Debt Relief Plan Explained webpage. It includes a link to subscribe for notifications when the process officially opens.
Public universities like SIU Carbondale continue to provide the best opportunity for a high-quality, affordable education. SIU is both transparent regarding our costs and a partner to our students in helping to find ways to manage that cost.
For 10 consecutive semesters, we have not increased tuition rates. In addition to affordable tuition rates, over 80% of incoming freshmen receive some form of scholarship, and over 90% of undergraduates receive some form of financial assistance to further reduce costs. We offer a variety of tuition assistance programs, scholarships, funding and partnerships like Saluki Commitment and Saluki Step Ahead to reduce the financial burden on new and transfer students. And unlike many institutions, SIU Carbondale does not assess incremental costs to out-of-state students.
As a result, our average student debt, $31,000, is 20% lower than average college debt within Illinois. As a university with a Carnegie Classification of high research activity we provide a significant return on investment. We at SIU Carbondale recognize the importance of completing that degree and helping our student population overcome whatever academic or financial barriers may stand in the way.
We continue to honor our tradition of providing an accessible education to Salukis from throughout the state, nation and world. We are still admitting students for fall 2022 and invite applications at siu.edu.
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