Southern Illinois University-Carbondale had a total enrollment of 11,790 students in 2024. The full-time enrollment at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is 9,599 students and the part-time enrollment is 2,191. This means that 81.4% of students enrolled at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale are enrolled full-time.

The enrolled student population at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, both undergraduate and graduate, is 61.5% White, 15.7% Black or African American, 8.97% Hispanic or Latino, 3.54% Two or More Races, 2.35% Asian, 0.229% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.119% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders.

Students enrolled at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in full-time Undergraduate programs are most commonly White Female (34.4%), followed by White Male (30.6%) and Black or African American Female (9.83%). Students enrolled in full-time Graduate programs are most commonly White Female (30.9%), followed by White Male (21.5%) and Black or African American Female (7.02%).