Cost advantage
Affordable two-year option
Tuition in the low range for community colleges.
Source: CollegeScorecard 2024
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Community CollegepublicVerified data
Prairie State College
Chicago Heights, IL
Tuition
$4,176
Acceptance
Open admission
Students
2,443
Type
Community College
Setting
Suburban
Distance from home
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Cost & Financial Aid
In-State Tuition
$4,176
Out-of-State Tuition
$11,064
Avg On-Campus Living
$16,500
Avg Off-Campus Living
$7,516
Financial Aid & Outcomes
CollegeScorecard · 2024
What will it actually cost?
Sticker price$20,676
Net price (after aid)$4,738
Most students pay the net price after financial aid, not the sticker price.
Net price by family income
$0 – $30k$3,546
$30k – $48k$3,013
$48k – $75k$7,839
$75k – $110k$11,127
$110k+$13,908
After graduation
Median earnings (10yr)$36,696
Median debt at graduation$11,000
Est. monthly loan payment$117
Earnings-to-debt ratio
Strong · 3.3×Graduates earn about 3.3× their median debt every year.
Financial access
Students on Pell Grants33%
Pell Grants are federal aid for students from low-income families.
Students with federal loans8%
Share of students who borrowed to pay for school.
Some fields may not be reported by this institution. Verify final details with the school directly.
How does cost line up with outcomes across colleges? See our analysis of college cost vs. graduation and earnings, an association shaped by selectivity and sector, not proof a pricier college pays off.
Student Outcomes
Graduation Rate
21%
Freshman Retention
51%
Source: CollegeScorecard (2024)
Final aid offers, scholarships, and net price vary per family. Always verify with the school's financial aid office.
Scholarships available
Decision support · Cost & value
Quick Decision Highlights
The strongest cost, aid, and value reasons to consider this school.
Lower net price
$4.7k below avg
Out-of-state value
$11.1k below avg
Strong aid for lower incomes
Reported net price for the $0–30k band runs below average.
Affordability snapshot
In-state tuition
$4.2k
Out-of-state
$11.1k
Net price
$4.7k
below avg
Pell
33%
Median debt
$11k
below avg
Earnings (10y)
$36.7k
“Avg” comparisons reference national IPEDS / College Scorecard averages (~2022–23); figures are directional and vary by school and year.
Admissions
Acceptance rate
Open admission
SAT range
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ACT range
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Location
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UniversitiesCommunity Colleges1 school
Institution does not report this
Chicago Heights, IL 60411
Academics
Studying online: a substantial share study entirely online
In Fall 2023, 434 of Prairie State College's 3,045 students (14%) were enrolled entirely at a distance. A further 845 (28%) took at least one distance course alongside in-person study.
Distance-education figures count STUDENTS enrolled in Fall 2023, not programs on offer. "Exclusively at a distance" means a student took only distance courses that term. A college with few or no such students may still run online courses or an online degree, so a low figure is not evidence that online study is unavailable, and a high one is not a judgement of quality either way.
U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Fall Enrollment (distance education status), Fall 2023
Fields of study
Prairie State College reported conferring credentials in 32 different fields to the federal government. See which ones, and at what credential level.
Campus & Student Life
Area Safety Rating
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Frequently asked questions
About Prairie State College
Built from CampusPin profile data. Always verify final admissions, cost, financial aid, and program details with the institution before applying. See our data methodology and data dictionary.
- Where is Prairie State College located?
- Prairie State College is located in Chicago Heights, IL, in the United States.
- What type of institution is Prairie State College?
- Prairie State College is a public community college based in IL. CampusPin classifies institutions as either four-year universities or two-year community colleges, with control labeled public or private.
- What is the acceptance rate at Prairie State College?
- The most recently reported acceptance rate at Prairie State College is approximately 100%. Acceptance rate signals selectivity but does not predict any individual applicant's outcome and is not a measure of school quality. CampusPin reports the federally-published value; verify the current cycle with the institution.
- What is the tuition at Prairie State College?
- Prairie State College's published in-state tuition is approximately $4,176 per year. This is the published price before financial aid; the net price most students actually pay is typically lower. Verify the current academic-year tuition with the institution before applying.
- How many students attend Prairie State College?
- Prairie State College reports total enrollment of approximately 2,443 students (undergraduate plus graduate). Total enrollment is a useful sizing signal, see the institutional profile for additional breakdowns when available.
- How much does Prairie State College actually cost after financial aid?
- The average net price at Prairie State College is approximately $4,738 per year. Net price is the total cost of attendance minus grants and scholarships that never have to be repaid, so it is what students actually paid rather than the published sticker price. What families pay varies with income: students from families earning under $30,000 paid about $3,546 on average, and those from families earning $110,000 or more about $13,908. These are averages for students who received federal aid in a prior cohort, not a quote for any individual family. Run the institution's own Net Price Calculator for a figure specific to you.
- What is the graduation rate at Prairie State College?
- Prairie State College reports a graduation rate of approximately 21%. This measures the share of a prior entering cohort who completed their degree within the federal tracking window. It reflects who enrolls as much as what the institution does, so it is not on its own a measure of teaching quality, and it is not comparable across institutions serving very different students.
- How much student debt do graduates of Prairie State College have?
- Students who borrowed at Prairie State College left with a median of approximately $11,000 in federal loans, and about 8% of students took federal loans at all. Both numbers matter: a median describes only the students who borrowed, so it reads very differently at a school where most students borrow than at one where few do. Federal loans only, so private and parent borrowing are not included.
- How much do graduates of Prairie State College earn?
- Median earnings approximately ten years after entry are $36,696 for students who received federal financial aid at Prairie State College. This reflects the mix of programs the institution offers and the students who enroll, not the effect of attending, and it covers aid recipients rather than all graduates.
- How should I verify final details about Prairie State College?
- CampusPin compiles institutional data from public datasets like IPEDS and the College Scorecard, plus institutional websites and editorial review. Before applying, paying a deposit, or making a final decision, confirm admissions requirements, current tuition, financial aid, deadlines, and program details directly with Prairie State College.
Fields this college awarded credentials in
The 14 largest of 32 fields Prairie State College reported, by credentials conferred in 2023-24, using the federal classification of each field. The level is the highest credential actually awarded, which is not always the one a field is best known for.
| Field | Awarded | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 377 | Associate's204 associate · 173 certificate |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | 136 | Certificate |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 69 | Associate's7 associate · 62 certificate |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | 49 | Associate's34 associate · 15 certificate |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | 44 | Associate's5 associate · 39 certificate |
| Fire Protection | 43 | Associate's3 associate · 40 certificate |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 33 | Associate's |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | 28 | Associate's4 associate · 24 certificate |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | 25 | Certificate |
| Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | 17 | Associate's7 associate · 10 certificate |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 15 | Associate's |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 13 | Associate's |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | 11 | Certificate |
| Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) | 11 | Certificate |
Fields are as classified in the federal IPEDS completions collection, which records credentials already conferred. A field listed here was awarded in the reporting year; it does not confirm the program is currently admitting students, and a field CampusPin has no guide for is still shown under its official federal title. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Explore more
Compare colleges side by sideAll colleges in IllinoisIllinois college costs by family incomeStudent debt at Illinois collegesComputer science major guideBusiness major guideNursing major guidePsychology major guideEngineering major guide
Always verify final admissions, cost, financial aid, and program details with Prairie State College before applying.
Data sources & methodology
Reporting period: 2024Last verified: June 10, 2026
Facts on this profile of Prairie State College are compiled from federal datasets and the institution's own published information.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Clery Act campus security reports
Annual campus security and fire-safety disclosures required of U.S. institutions.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. (2024). Prairie State College, college profile. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/schools/prairie-state-college
About this information
CampusPin compiles college information from recent publicly available data, including federal and institutional sources. College information can change as institutions and public agencies release new data.
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