Graduating Redbirds by the numbers: May 2025
Nearly 3,500 Illinois State University students will earn degrees this May, with spring commencement scheduled for Friday, May 9-Saturday, May 10, 2025, in CEFCU Arena.
Here’s a numerical look at this spring’s graduates.
Total class size: 3,481
Number of undergraduate students: 2,877
Number of graduate students: 604
Number of international students: 142
Students graduating with honors (3.65 GPA or higher): more than 1,200
Students earning two degrees simultaneously: 31
Military-connected graduates (veterans and current National Guard and Reserve members): 56
Age of oldest graduate: 75
Age of youngest graduate: 19
Number of U.S. states represented: 31
Most common zip code: 61761 (Normal)
Most common zip code outside of Bloomington-Normal: 60047 (Lake Zurich)
Most common zip code outside of Illinois: 63368 (O’Fallon, Missouri)
Most common undergraduate major: marketing
Most common undergraduate minor: psychology
Most common graduate programs: speech-language pathology
Farthest (away from Normal) home state/country: Washington (U.S.); New Zealand (international)
For profiles on Redbirds who are celebrating graduation this May, read the Graduating Redbirds series. For more information about how Illinois State is celebrating commencement, visit the Graduation Services website.
Latest Campus News
- Graduating Redbirds: PULSE graduate prepared to teach, advocate for special education studentsLaura Martinez first grasped the power of teaching as a teenager growing up in Mexico. Tasked with volunteering in her community for a high school civics class, Martinez, then 15, chose to tutor more than 80 third-graders who were behind academically. Within three months, she taught most students in her Saturday-morning extra-help sessions how to
- Graduating Redbirds: Political science major Jazmine Benson finds purpose and community at Illinois StateFor graduating senior Jazmine Benson, Illinois State University wasn’t just a college choice. It became a foundation for academic growth, leadership, and meaningful connections.
- Graduating Redbirds: Cybersecurity graduate will bring energy, work ethic, and lessons learned from campus mentors into the worldTyler Bever is no stranger to hard work. Now that he’s graduating from Illinois State University, one adjustment he’ll have to make is cutting back from working several part-time jobs to a single job as he begins his career.
- Graduating Redbirds: International finance/mathematics major finds home at Illinois StateMohammed Karim Mrani Alaoui's journey to Illinois State University was shaped by courage, adaptability, and academic ambition.
- Big Red abroad: Big Red Marching Machine creates unforgettable memories in IrelandIllinois State University’s Big Red Marching Machine (BRMM) recently brought its high-energy sound and school spirit overseas, spending eight days performing and exploring across Ireland.
- Graduating Redbirds: A single mother, corrections officer, and member of the National Guard creates a new future for her familyShyanne Ellenwood, known as Shy to her friends, knew as a teenager that she wanted to be a nurse. As a junior in high school back in her hometown of Bourbonnais, she became a certified nursing assistant and started her career in health care.
