The college explorer
Find a college.
See what it returns.
Look beyond the sticker price. Explore real costs, graduate earnings, and how long a degree takes to pay for itself.
How we measure value3,376colleges to explore
434with a Strong ROI verdict
College Scorecard · 2026 release
Federal figures. Our calculations.
116 matching colleges · Showing 49–72
Compare collegesBrowse by state or territory
Payback guideStrong ≤5 yearsSolid ≤10Slow ≤20Weak >20 or no payback
Illinois 116 matching
View state rankingStrong ROI
Governors State University
University Park, IL
Net price / year$12,329Payback5 years
Weak ROI
City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College
Chicago, IL
Net price / year$7,863PaybackNot available
Solid ROI
Augustana College
Rock Island, IL
Net price / year$22,736Payback6.2 years
Weak ROI
Lewis and Clark Community College
Godfrey, IL
Net price / year$3,349PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Lake Land College
Mattoon, IL
Net price / year$2,254PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Prairie State College
Chicago Heights, IL
Net price / year$4,738PaybackNot available
Solid ROI
North Central College
Naperville, IL
Net price / year$21,044Payback7.2 years
Weak ROI
Black Hawk College
Moline, IL
Net price / year$6,944PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
University of Illinois Springfield
Springfield, IL
Net price / year$9,833Payback4.5 years
Solid ROI
Wheaton College
Wheaton, IL
Net price / year$26,975Payback7 years
Weak ROI
South Suburban College
South Holland, IL
Net price / year$3,242PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Illinois Valley Community College
Oglesby, IL
Net price / year$2,232PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
John A Logan College
Carterville, IL
Net price / year$5,541PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Kankakee Community College
Kankakee, IL
Net price / year$4,665PaybackNot available
Solid ROI
Benedictine University
Lisle, IL
Net price / year$22,313Payback5.9 years
Weak ROI
Kishwaukee College
Malta, IL
Net price / year$4,574PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Kaskaskia College
Centralia, IL
Net price / year$6,477PaybackNot available
Solid ROI
North Park University
Chicago, IL
Net price / year$16,948Payback6 years
Solid ROI
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, IL
Net price / year$28,673Payback8.5 years
Weak ROI
City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College
Chicago, IL
Net price / year$9,494PaybackNot available
Solid ROI
McKendree University
Lebanon, IL
Net price / year$24,717Payback9.7 years
Weak ROI
City Colleges of Chicago-Olive-Harvey College
Chicago, IL
Net price / year$9,038PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Illinois Eastern Community Colleges
Olney, IL
Net price / year$10,092PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, IL
Net price / year$28,199Payback5 years