Public Associate Good 66/100

Illinois Eastern Community Colleges

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Olney, Illinois

About Illinois Eastern Community Colleges

Thinking about Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, a college in Illinois where more students graduate in Liberal Arts than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Illinois Eastern Community Colleges is a public institution offering associate degrees based in Olney, Illinois. It enrolls 1,634 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
Open
Graduation
41.4%
Net Price
$10,092
Median Earnings (10yr)
$37,533
Enrollment
1,634
Student : Faculty
11:1

Accreditor Higher Learning Commission
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (2-Year), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
66/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes 63
Value 51
Affordability 31
Selectivity —

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

As a two-year college, Illinois Eastern Community Colleges admits essentially everyone who qualifies, so plan around cost and completion instead of your odds of getting in.

Acceptance Rate
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $10,092 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$10,092
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
17%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
4%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$5,260
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$12,460
Room & Board (off-campus)
$7,338
Books & Supplies
$1,460
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$9,852
Total Cost of Attendance
$17,333

Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $9,365
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $8,716
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $10,864
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $12,053
  • Over $110,000
    $12,874

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$1,750
10% percentile
$2,250
25% percentile
$6,500
Median percentile
$5,500
75% percentile
$9,000
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $5,250 ↓ $1,250
No Pell $5,500 ↓ $1,000
Dependent students $5,500 ↓ $1,000
Independent students $6,000 ↓ $500
Female students $5,399 ↓ $1,101
Male students $5,500 ↓ $1,000
Pell recipients: 15.8% (1,029 students)No Pell: 16.6% (1,078 students)Dependent students: 16.6% (1,078 students)Independent students: 18.1% (1,177 students)Female students: 16.3% (1,059 students)Male students: 16.6% (1,078 students)Overall Median$6,500
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $4,500, less than completers ($6,500), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

41% of students who start here finish within six years, and 67% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
41%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
67%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $37,533 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$37,533
Earning > $25K
62%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$33,500$35,000$36,000$37,000$38,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$27,700

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$45,800

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $18,100, about 40% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Stable ↓ 1.5 pts across 6 years
66.3%1yr67.3%3yr67.4%5yr64.8%7yr
What this signals: Moderate. Only 65% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,634 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 41% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
1,634
Part-Time
27%
First-Generation
41%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 84.3% 1,377
Black 5.1% 83
Hispanic 4.4% 71
Other 3.3% 54
Asian 1.7% 28
White: 84.3% (1,377 students)Black: 5.1% (83 students)Hispanic: 4.4% (71 students)Other: 3.3% (54 students)Asian: 1.7% (28 students)Total1,634

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Illinois Eastern Community Colleges. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Town: Remote Olney, Illinois
Housing
Commuter campus No on-campus housing
Adult Learners
17% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Health graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Illinois Eastern Community Colleges offers a varied set of programs: 23 distinct programs across 10 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

2 Programs
7 Programs
4 Programs
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 11 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
11:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$1,940
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Avg Faculty Salary
$63,232
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

40 instructional faculty across 5 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 6 15% $82,783
Associate Professors 5 13% $71,940
Assistant Professors 11 28% $64,637
Instructors 17 43% $53,215
No Rank 1 3% $57,200

Pros & Cons of Illinois Eastern Community Colleges

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Illinois Eastern Community Colleges is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Below-average net price
  • Open admissions
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Low typical debt at graduation
  • First-gen-friendly student body
CONS
  • Below-average completion rate
  • First-year retention is below typical
  • Earnings outcomes are on the lower side
  • Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Best for: Based on the data, Illinois Eastern Community Colleges is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.

Frequently Asked Questions about Illinois Eastern Community Colleges

The questions families ask most about Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Illinois Eastern Community Colleges hard to get into?
Not especially. Illinois Eastern Community Colleges admits most qualified applicants, and reports no competitive acceptance rate. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Illinois Eastern Community Colleges?
No acceptance rate is reported, which for a college like this normally means admission is open to anyone meeting the basic requirements. Confirm with the admissions office rather than assuming it.
How much does Illinois Eastern Community Colleges cost?
Budget around $10,092 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Illinois Eastern Community Colleges worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $37,533 a year against a net price of $10,092, about 3.7 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Illinois Eastern Community Colleges known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Liberal Arts, Nursing. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Illinois Eastern Community Colleges graduates earn?
About $37,533 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Illinois Eastern Community Colleges accredited?
Yes. Illinois Eastern Community Colleges is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Illinois Eastern Community Colleges?
1,634 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Illinois Eastern Community Colleges?
41% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Illinois Eastern Community Colleges a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Illinois Eastern Community Colleges located?
Illinois Eastern Community Colleges is located in Olney, Illinois.
What programs does Illinois Eastern Community Colleges offer?
23 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Liberal Arts, Nursing. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Illinois Eastern Community Colleges?
11 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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