Elgin Community College
A good fit for families who need the lowest possible cost and in-state Illinois residents. no major red flags in the data. a public school with 6,463 students.
About This School
Elgin Community College is a public institution located in Elgin, Illinois with approximately 6,463 undergraduate students enrolled. The average net price after financial aid is $5,778 per year. Typical graduates earn $35,800 within 10 years of enrollment.
Elgin Community College (ECC) is a public community college in Elgin, Illinois. It was founded in 1949 as part of Elgin Area School District U46. Community College District 509 was formed 17 years later in 1966, a year after Illinois legislators created the Illinois Community College System. Most of the District is in Kane County with portions in DeKalb, Cook, McHenry, and DuPage. The 360-square-mile (930 km2) District serves 300,000 people, 11,000 businesses, four public school districts, and 15 high schools.
Worth considering if you're looking to keep costs low while exploring your options — at just $5,778/year after aid and a median debt of only $4,790 at graduation, ECC is one of the more affordable paths into higher education in the Chicago suburbs. The honest concern is that median earnings sit at $35,800 a decade after enrollment, which is modest and likely reflects the mix of students transferring to four-year schools versus those entering the workforce directly with a two-year credential. If your plan is to transfer to a university or complete a career-focused certificate without burying yourself in debt, this school makes real financial sense — just go in with a clear next step.
Popular Programs
Percentage of degrees awarded. Source: College Scorecard.
Notable Alumni
Source: Wikidata. Used for context only.
Admissions
SAT Scores
ACT Scores
Cost & Financial Aid
Financial Aid
Full Cost
After Graduation
Earnings 6 Years After Enrollment, by Gender
Gap: 9% less for female graduates. National avg ~16%.
What Each Major Actually Earns
Median earnings four years after graduation, by major, next to the national median for that same major at every college. The school-wide average hides this: at most schools the spread between the best- and worst-paying majors is far wider than the gap between schools.
Elgin Community College graduates earn most above the national rate in Biological and Physical Sciences ($67,323 vs $50,181 nationally), and most below it in Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($75,918 vs $80,813).
| Major | Grads | Here | National | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 524 | $51,556 | $44,125 | +$7,431 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 177 | $67,323 | $50,181 | +$17,142 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 70 | $75,918 | $80,813 | −$4,895 |
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data. Median earnings of graduates working and not enrolled four years after completing an associate's degreehere. Majors with too few graduates to report are omitted for privacy, so this is not the school's full program list.
Will This School Pay Off?
Strong return. Graduates earn well above their debt load.
Earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. These are means across all graduates, not specific to any major.
Student Body
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (6,463 undergraduates).
Contact & Location
Official Links
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See How Colleges Compare
Elgin Community College is one of thousands of colleges in our data studies, each built from the same U.S. Department of Education data shown on this page. Compare schools head to head:
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Elgin Community College cost?
The average net price at Elgin Community College is about $5,778 per year after grants and scholarships, based on federal data. Your actual cost depends on your family's finances and aid package.
Sources & Methodology
Primary data source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Accessed via automated sync. Latest values may come from different reporting years depending on the metric.
School overview from Wikipedia. Used for context only, not as a primary data source for admissions, cost, or outcomes claims.
- Earnings figures are institution-level averages, not major-specific.
- Some metrics are based on Title IV financial aid recipients only.
- Some values may be privacy-suppressed or rolled up by the Department of Education.
- Contact the school directly for current admissions requirements and costs.
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