Admission Policies, Requirements, Procedures | 2025-2026 Academic Catalog | SIU

Policies and procedures for admission are presented in the admissions sections. Definitions of each category of admissions are included along with procedures needed to follow to complete your Undergraduate Admission Application.

Applying for Admissions

You may obtain an application one of several ways. Apply on-line at: admissions.siu.edu. Request an Application for Undergraduate Admission from Undergraduate Admissions, Mail Code 4710, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, Illinois, 62901, phone 618/536-4405 or email admissions@siu.edu or download a printable application at: admissions.siu.edu. The application requires a $40 non-refundable fee. The admission application cannot be processed until the application fee is received. The fee must be paid using a credit card if applying online and by check or money order if using the paper application.

The application term may be changed one time per application, provided the request is made prior to the start of the original application term.

The University closes admission to some programs whenever the availability of faculty or facilities necessitates such closures. The University also stops accepting admission applications from first-year students whenever the availability of the University resources dictates this action.

If you are a transfer student you can be considered for any future term. Transfer students who intend to transfer to Southern Illinois University Carbondale before completing one year of study may be admitted prior to completing their transfer work if they qualified for admission as first-year students.

SIUC's application for admission includes a series of Public Safety Questions in which applicants are asked to disclose convictions and/or guilty pleas for felonies or other crimes involving violence or the threat of violence, pending charges involving a felony, violence, or the threat of violence, and any disciplinary sanction from any other college or university for an offense involving violence or the threat of violence. If a positive response is given to any of the Public Safety Questions, the applicant is asked to provide supplemental information regarding the conviction, charges, and/or disciplinary suspension and to authorize the University to conduct a criminal background check. Upon receipt of the supplemental information from the applicant, former institution, or court, Enrollment Management will forward the documents to the Campus Violence Prevention Committee (hereinafter, "Committee") for review. 

The Committee will determine, based on the information provided by the applicant, whether the applicant presents a potential threat to the safety of the campus community. If a potential threat is identified, the Committee will request, through the Department of Public Safety, a criminal background check on that applicant for the purpose of making a recommendation to Enrollment Management on the admission of the applicant. In evaluating the results of the criminal background check, the Committee shall consider the rational relationship of the nature, severity, and residency of the crime or disciplinary action to the interests and needs of the University and shall also consider the responsibility and repentance of the applicant. 

Documents Required to Process an Application for Admission

All students need a completed Application for Undergraduate Admission accompanied by the $40 non-refundable application fee.

New First Time Students and Transfers with Less Than 12 Credit Hours

Official High School Transcripts, GED test scores, High School Equivalency Test scores, or Test Assessing Secondary Completion scores.

Transfer Students (Including Those with Less Than 12 Credit Hours)

Official transcripts from each institution of post-secondary education attended, even if no credit was earned. Transcripts must be issued within the last 30 days, in a sealed envelope, or sent electronically from the institution through an approved third-party transcript provider.

Programs Requiring Additional Materials or Screening

In addition to the Undergraduate Admission Application and the required educational records, some programs require applicants to submit other materials. If other materials are needed, the student will receive information and instructions from their intended major.

The following majors require that students be screened beyond the regular SIU Carbondale admission requirements before entering directly into the programs: automotive technology, aviation flight, aviation management, business and administration, biomedical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, dental hygiene, public safety management, music, nursing, physical therapist assistant, radiologic sciences, and teacher education programs.

In most cases, students may apply for any major in any term; however, a few majors at SIU Carbondale permit new students to enter in the fall semester only. They are: architectural studies, dental hygiene, fashion studies, interior design, physical therapist assistant and radiologic sciences. For transfer students, admission to architectural studies and interior design in spring or summer will be considered individually.

Mortuary Science and Funeral Service offers major courses beginning in the fall only, but will permit students to begin in the spring and summer terms to take non-major courses.