Well-Respected Program
Our Actuarial Program is recognized as a Center of Actuarial Excellence by the Society of Actuaries. Each university so recognized met specific requirements related to degree, curriculum, graduate count, faculty composition, graduate quality, appropriate integration, connection to industry, and research/scholarship. We were among the inaugural recipeints of the Center of Actuarial Excellence designation in 2009, and the first Center of Actuarial Excellence in the state of Illinois.
In 2023, Casualty Actuarial Society created a new University Recognition Program, and our Actuarial Program was awarded Gold Level recognition, the highest one possible. In 2016, our university won the Casualty Actuarial Society University Award, one of the first four universities in the world to receive it. We also won the 2019 Casualty Actuarial Society University Award.
Notably, our insurance program also has the highest level of recognition. Illinois State University is recognized by the International Insurance Society as a Global Center of Insurance Excellence.
Explore The Program
You can watch a video about being an actuarial science major at Illinois State University.
This site with information about actuarial profession was created by professional actuarial organizations: BeAnActuary.org
Industry Partners
Our Actuarial Program Advisory Board is composed of outstanding practicing actuaries who advise us on the effectiveness and comprehensiveness of our program.
Employment Opportunities
We have an excellent job placement record. Completion of our actuarial program has lead to actuarial employment with an insurance company or a consulting firm for an overwhelming majority of our students. Our placement rate over the last five years has been approximately 98%. Current starting annual salaries average is approximately $84,000. Our students have been placed with many companies: Abbvie, Accident Fund Insurance Company of America, Ace Group, Acuity, Advocate Health, Aegon, Aetna, Aflac, AIG, Alliance Pension Consultants, Allianz, Allied World, Allstate, Amazon, American Association of Insurance Services, American Family Insurance, American Fidelity, AmeriHealth Caritas, AmWins, Anthem, Aon, Arch Insurance, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, Assurance Agency, Auto-Owners Insurance, Best Buy Warranties, BioStats Solutions, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Bocom International Holdings Ltd., Capital Health Plan, Caterpillar, CC Industries, Inc. China International Fund Management Co., Ltd., China Re, Chubb, Cincinnati Financial, CNA, CNO Financial, COUNTRY Financial, CUNA Mutual, DataRobot, Dearborn National, DFCC Bank, The Economical Insurance Group, Emergent Biosolutions, Epic Systems Healthcare Software, ERGO Versicherungsgruppe, Erie Insurance, EVP Advisers, EY, Farmers Insurance, Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, Foster & Foster, Fosun Group, Fubon Financial, GEICO, Generali, Gen Re, Genworth, Grant Thornton, GRS Consulting, Hallesche Krankenversicherung, Hallmark Financial, Hannover Reinsurance, The Hartford, Health Care Service Corporation, Health Now, Horace Mann, Humana, Illinois Casualty, Illinois Department of Insurance, Illinois Mutual, Insurance Technologies, Investors Heritage Life, J.P. Morgan, Johnson & Johnson, Kemper, Liberty Mutual, Lincoln Financial, Lockheed Martin, Main Street America Group, Manulife, Marsh, MedPro Group, Mercer, Metlife, Milliman, Monitor, Munich Re, Mutual Trust, Nationwide, New York Life, Oliver Wyman, On Point Technology, Optima Health, Optum, Pacific Life, Paradigm Brokerage, Pekin Insurance, Pinnacle Actuarial Resources, Plymouth Rock Assurance, Polysystems, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Prudential, Prudential PLC, Reinsurance Group of America, RLI Insurance, R.R. Donnelley, Safety National, SCOR, Sears Holdings, Sentry Insurance, State Auto Insurance, State Compensation Insurance Fund, State Farm, Stuttgarter Lebensversicherung, Sun Life, Swiss Re. Synchrony Financial, Symetra Financial, Taikang Life Insurance, Taiping Life Insurance, Thai Life Insurance, Thrivent Financial, Transamerica, Travelers. Trustmark, UCare. United Health Group, United States Department of Husing and Urban Development, United States Veterans Administration, USAA, Valence Health, Valuation Research Corporation, Verisk, Voya, Walmart Business Analytics, The Warranty Group, WellCare Health Plans, Wellpoint, Wespath Benefits and Investments, Willis Towers Watson, Wuerttembergische Lebensversicherung, Xceedance, Zurich.
Actuarial Examinations Preparation
We offer undergraduate classes covering material on all preliminary actuarial examinations (Society of Actuaries examinations P, FM, FAM, ASTAM, ALTAM, SRM, and PA, and Casualty Actuarial Society examinations 1, 2, MAS I, MAS II and CAS DISCs) as well as all Validation by Educational Experience (VEE) requirements, and graduate level classes covering the mathematical contents of more advanced examinations of the Society of Actuaries, and the Casualty Actuarial Society. In addition to actuarial courses, a variety of statistics classes in the Department of Mathematics, and insurance classes in the College of Business are offered. Our program also administers intensive review seminars for actuarial examinations at no charge to Illinois State University students. We are authorized for University Earned Credit for Society of Actuaries examinations FM, FAM and ALTAM.
Professional Experience
We encourage our students to pursue excellent opportunities for internships available locally with State Farm, one of the largest insurance firms in the world, and other companies in town: COUNTRY Financial and Pinnacle Actuarial Resources, Inc., as well as many other employers in the United States and globally.
Scholarships
We offer numerous scholarships in actuarial science: Actuarial Scholars (State Farm Scholars, Country Scholars, Pinnacle Scholars, Milliman Scholars, and Katie School Scholars), Lee Ann Murray “Everything Counts” Scholarship, D.W. Simpson Scholarship, and Orlyn Edge Scholarship. Many additional scholarships are available from the Katie School of Insurance and Financial Services. Our students are also very successful in securing external scholarships, mostly from the insurance industry and foundations supporting actuarial science and insurance education.
World Class Research
Our faculty are engaged in cutting edge research, funded by various external agencies, and published in books and top-level journals. Current topics of study include models for risk-based capital, longevity improvement and its effect on retirement systems, statistical methods used in health insurance, actuarial and economic aspects of life insurance backdating, optimal structure of insurance and reinsurance contracts, and asset-liability management methodologies.
Stimulating Environment
Illinois State University gives students a small college experience with large university opportunities. We offer small class sizes, access to professors, low cost of living, and very reasonable tuition. Our actuarial students are encouraged to join the Honors Program, and the Actuarial Club within Gamma Iota Sigma. In addition to the Actuarial Program, we also host programs in mathematics, statistics, and biomathematics (joint with the Department of Biology) within the Department of Mathematics, and have a thriving program of education in insurance at the College of Business. We cooperate closely with the Katie School of Insurance and Financial Services.
Opportunities For Underrepresented Groups
The industry is working towards increasing diversity in actuarial careers. We work very hard to create opportunities for socially disadvantaged students, offering scholarships and support. We host summer programs for high school students, which is supported by the insurance industry and actuarial societies.
Great Value
Illinois State University’s tuition rates are very reasonable, and we consistently place in the list of colleges where students graduate with the least amount of debt. Furthermore, students from other states can generally petition to become state of Illinois residents for tuition purposes, if they meet certain conditions.