Beecher Mausoleum · Photo: Boscophotos · CC BY-SA 3.0Governors State University is 8.6 miles from Beecher
No college sits inside Beecher’s boundary, but Governors State University’s campus in University Park, with 2,773 students on campus, is 8.6 miles from the center of town, and Prairie State College is 12.2 miles away in Chicago Heights. About 7% of Beecher’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Beecher. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Beecher
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Beecher
Both are public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Beecher.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $75–110k, where Beecher’s median household income ($103,415) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Beecher: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.
Questions about college near Beecher
Is Beecher a college town?
No. About 7 of every 100 Beecher residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Illinois (6). The nearest campus, Governors State University, is 8.6 miles away in University Park.
What colleges are near Beecher?
Within 15 miles: Governors State University (8.6 miles, 2,773 students on campus) and Prairie State College (12.2 miles, 2,611).
What is the closest community college to Beecher, and what does it cost?
Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, 12.2 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,176 a year for Illinois residents; the federal net price, $4,738, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Governors State University cost if we live in Illinois?
Tuition and fees are $12,004 a year in-state and $12,004 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $9,563 (under $30,000 income) to $22,076 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Beecher. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →