Richland Community College vs Prairie State College

Richland Community College and Prairie State College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer diverse educational opportunities to students in Illinois. Richland, located in Decatur, boasts an acceptance rate of 100%, welcoming all aspiring learners. Prairie State, situated in Chicago Heights, maintains a slightly more selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 98%. While Richland's student body predominantly comprises White students (62%), Prairie State reflects a more diverse population, with a significant proportion of Black or African American students (43%). Both colleges offer a wide range of programs, with popular majors including Liberal Arts and Humanities, Business, and Health Professions. To help you make an informed decision about your academic journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key aspects of each institution. Explore the data to discover which college aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	Prairie State College	Richland Community College
Overview
Location	Chicago Heights, Illinois	Decatur, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	53.0%	65.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $25,562 Out of state: $27,284	In state: $21,860 Out of state: $32,030
Average net price	$7,059	$5,524
Tuition	In state: $8,610 Out of state: $10,332	In state: $8,670 Out of state: $18,840
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	60.0% Average amount $6,684	90.0% Average amount $4,268
Students receiving federal student loan	5.0% Average amount $5,749	11.0% Average amount $4,988
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,618 Men 34.9% Women 65.1%	2,252 Men 36.4% Women 63.6%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	2.1%	0.4%
International students	1.4%	0.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	N/A	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Indiana Missouri	Illinois California

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Computer and Information Science Automotive Technology Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Liberal Arts Health Professions Automotive Technology Multidisciplinary Studies Business
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	16.9%	37.8%
Dropout rate	51.8%	35.9%
Transferred out	20.1%	18.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $58,132 Year 2: $56,867 Year 3: $60,449 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $48,414 Year 2: $53,697 Year 3: $57,487 Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: $24,160 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $29,171 Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $24,036 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $37,124 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $17,950 Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $56,895 Year 2: $56,234 Year 3: $59,000 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $46,174 Year 2: $43,957 Year 3: $43,155 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $24,245 Year 2: $22,534 Year 3: $28,596 Biological and Physical Sciences (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,250 Year 3: N/A Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,373 Year 3: N/A

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