One University, Two Campuses, Many Locations
Southern Illinois University. A place where learning comes first, where students are valued and encouraged to explore new ideas and where progress is complemented by tradition.
SIU’s influence can be felt far beyond the locations of its great campuses. While it serves as an economic engine for southern Illinois, it more importantly is a quality institution of learning for the citizens of Illinois, the nation, and the world.
Chartered in 1869, Southern Illinois University first opened its doors in Carbondale for instruction in 1874 in a one-building teacher training institution known as Southern Illinois Normal University.
The two institutions that constitute Southern Illinois University today - Southern Illinois University Carbondale, with a School of Medicine in Springfield, and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, with a School of Dental Medicine in Alton and a Center in East St. Louis - reach from the Shawnee National Forest to the bluffs of the Mississippi River to the flatlands of central Illinois. With a total budget of more than $660 million, the University serves nearly 35,000 students and offers two associate’s, 124 bachelor’s, 113 master’s, and 37 doctoral and professional degree programs.
