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.
3,376 matching colleges · Showing 937–960
Compare collegesBrowse by state or territory
Payback guideStrong ≤5 yearsSolid ≤10Slow ≤20Weak >20 or no payback
Illinois 116 matching
View state rankingWeak ROI
Lincoln Land Community College
Springfield, IL
Net price / year$4,299PaybackNot available
Solid ROI
Aurora University
Aurora, IL
Net price / year$18,838Payback7.3 years
Strong ROI
Bradley University
Peoria, IL
Net price / year$22,719Payback4.9 years
Weak ROI
Parkland College
Champaign, IL
Net price / year$8,048PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
Saint Xavier University
Chicago, IL
Net price / year$10,970Payback4.3 years
Solid ROI
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, IL
Net price / year$24,185Payback7.4 years
Weak ROI
Heartland Community College
Normal, IL
Net price / year$12,013PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Roosevelt University
Chicago, IL
Net price / year$20,194Payback229.5 years
Strong ROI
Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago, IL
Net price / year$18,425Payback2.2 years
Weak ROI
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Net price / year$49,790PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College
Chicago, IL
Net price / year$7,886PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Morton College
Cicero, IL
Net price / year$5,191PaybackNot available
Slow ROI
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, IL
Net price / year$20,729Payback17.1 years
Strong ROI
Dominican University
River Forest, IL
Net price / year$11,745Payback3.9 years
Strong 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