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Colleges in and near Bourbonnais

Bourbonnais is a college town: 15 of every 100 residents are students

Olivet Nazarene University (2,498 students on campus) is inside the village. Across Illinois, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town15% of residents are studentsOlivet Nazarene University

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 Bourbonnais. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
2
4,672 students on campus
Nearest college
1.9 mi
Olivet Nazarene University
Residents in college
15%
Above IL (6%)
Nearest community college
6 mi
Kankakee · $5,220 tuition
Nearest public university
20.3 mi
Governors State · $12,004 in-state
Students on campus in Bourbonnais
2,498
next to 17,658 residents

What stands out about college in Bourbonnais

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town15 of every 100 Bourbonnais residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.A university in BourbonnaisOlivet Nazarene University has 2,498 students on campus in Bourbonnais, 61% of whom graduate within six years.A community college 6 miles awayKankakee Community College in Kankakee: tuition and fees $5,220 a year for Illinois residents.In-state price at Governors StateLiving in Illinois, Governors State University charges $12,004 in tuition and fees, the same for every student.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Bourbonnais

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

15 of every 100 Bourbonnais residents are in college (IL: 6).

2,498students on campus at Olivet Nazarene University, next to 17,658 residents (dorm students count as residents)
741college students live in Bourbonnais households rather than dorms
35.8median age · IL 39.0
52%of residents are women · IL 51% (±2.1 points)
27%of homes rented · IL 33%
$1,269median rent · 0% below the state
Cost of living$1,269/mo median rentC−SafetyCrime reported to the FBIBHealthCDC estimatesBJobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundB−HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Bourbonnais’ other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income B−

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 8.8% of Bourbonnais residents are below the poverty line, 8.3% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 3 points either way). 18% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living C−

The Cost grade counts the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent, leaving it out only where students are a quarter of residents or more. Here they are 15%, so student incomes still weigh on that figure.

Health B

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Bourbonnais’ median age is 35.8 (Illinois 39.0), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety B

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Bourbonnais

One private college within 1.9 miles, and Kankakee Community College 6 miles away. The nearest public four-year college, Governors State University, is 20.3 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miOlivet Nazarene UniversityKankakeeBourbonnais
University or collegeCommunity college
Olivet Nazarene UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 2,498 on campus · In Bourbonnais56%admitted$21knet price61%graduate$53kearningsKankakee Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 2,174 on campus · 6 mi · Kankakee$5knet price32%graduate$39kearningsTuition and fees: $5,220 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.

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 it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $75–110k, where Bourbonnais’ median household income ($81,708) falls.

Kankakee Community College6 mi · Kankakee · sticker $11,612 · tuition $5,220$7,610a year
Governors State University20.3 mi · University Park · sticker $24,227$16,741a year
Olivet Nazarene UniversityIn Bourbonnais · sticker $51,981$23,218a year

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.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Olivet Nazarene UniversityKankakeeGovernors State
Governors State University22% graduate$58k earnings$19k typical debt
Olivet Nazarene University61% graduate$53k earnings$25k typical debt
Kankakee Community College32% graduate$39k earnings$10k typical debt

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.

Majors

What students study in Bourbonnais

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Olivet Nazarene University, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Business 18%Education 15%Health professions 10%Biology 7%Parks & recreation 6%Engineering 6%Everything else 38%

Biggest programs

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing80 graduates a year
$85k4 yrs out
Psychology, General50 graduates a year
$49k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations49 graduates a year
$58k4 yrs out
Criminal Justice and Corrections38 graduates a year
$51k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness35 graduates a year
$47k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods33 graduates a year
$45k4 yrs out
Engineering, General31 graduates a year
$83k4 yrs out
Communication and Media Studies27 graduates a year
$42k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Bourbonnais

Is Bourbonnais a college town?

Yes. 15 of every 100 Bourbonnais residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Illinois. Olivet Nazarene University has 2,498 students on campus, next to 17,658 residents.

What colleges are in Bourbonnais?

Olivet Nazarene University is inside the village. Kankakee Community College is 6 miles away in Kankakee.

Why is Bourbonnais’ poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 8.8% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 8.3% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 3 points).

What is the closest community college to Bourbonnais, and what does it cost?

Kankakee Community College in Kankakee, 6 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,220 a year for Illinois residents; the federal net price, $4,665, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Olivet Nazarene University?

Olivet Nazarene University admitted 56% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 950–1,220 on the SAT.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

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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 Bourbonnais. 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 →