Harper vs Rock Valley College

William Rainey Harper College and Rock Valley College, both esteemed community colleges in Illinois, offer diverse educational opportunities to students seeking higher education. While they share a commitment to academic excellence and student success, they also possess distinct characteristics that cater to different needs and preferences. This side-by-side comparison delves into the unique aspects of each institution, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. By exploring these differences, prospective students can make informed decisions about their academic journey and choose the college that best aligns with their aspirations and goals.

	Rock Valley College	William Rainey Harper College
Overview
Location	Rockford, Illinois	Palatine, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	68.0%	74.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees		$25
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
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: $21,135 Out of state: $29,775	In state: $29,820 Out of state: $31,632
Average net price	$9,676	$7,112
Tuition	In state: $8,400 Out of state: $17,040	In state: $9,372 Out of state: $11,184
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	50.0% Average amount $4,546	57.0% Average amount $4,971
Students receiving federal student loan	6.0% Average amount $4,170	3.0% Average amount $4,807
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,494 Men 42.8% Women 57.2%	12,015 Men 44.2% Women 55.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	0.9%	0.5%
International students	0.3%	0.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
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 Wisconsin Alabama Ohio	Illinois Pennsylvania Wisconsin Georgia Iowa

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Automotive Technology Multidisciplinary Studies Computer and Information Science	Liberal Arts Health Professions Business Multidisciplinary Studies Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	31.7%	37.8%
Dropout rate	42.3%	28.9%
Transferred out	15.5%	20.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $58,438 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $64,955 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $51,129 Year 2: $42,188 Year 3: $43,814 Biological and Physical Sciences (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $25,263 Year 2: $27,681 Year 3: $36,867 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $24,140 Year 2: $21,000 Year 3: $31,858 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: N/A Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $52,610 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,231 Year 3: N/A Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,602 Year 2: $49,527 Year 3: N/A Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,846 Year 3: N/A Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $22,259 Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: N/A	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $58,892 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $73,991 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $61,058 Year 2: $59,937 Year 3: $64,559 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $63,114 Year 2: $61,908 Year 3: $62,113 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $27,669 Year 3: $43,118 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,127 Year 3: $39,397 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $26,090 Year 2: $27,319 Year 3: $34,147 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $36,373 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $32,807 Biological and Physical Sciences (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $28,238 Year 2: $22,420 Year 3: $27,387 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $30,173 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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