No college sits inside Carol Stream’s boundary, but Wheaton College’s campus in Wheaton, with 2,613 students on campus, is 3.9 miles from the center of town, and College of DuPage is 6.3 miles away in Glen Ellyn. About 8% of Carol Stream’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 Carol Stream. Colleges are described, not graded.
Within 15 miles
14
64,747 students on campus
Nearest college
3.9 mi
Wheaton College
Residents in college
8%
About the same as IL (6%)
Nearest community college
6.3 mi
College of DuPage · $4,560 tuition
Nearest public university
21.7 mi
Northeastern Illinois University · $12,383 in-state
Median household income
$102K
prices below start here
What stands out about college from Carol Stream
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
10 private colleges within 12.7 miles, and four community colleges. The nearest public four-year college, Northeastern Illinois University, is 21.7 miles away.
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 Carol Stream’s median household income ($102,309) 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.
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.
College of DuPage25% graduate$47k earnings$10k typical debt
William Rainey Harper College48% graduate$48k 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. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Chamberlain University-Illinois (15); DeVry University-Illinois (11).
Questions about college near Carol Stream
Is Carol Stream a college town?
No. About 8 of every 100 Carol Stream residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Illinois (6). The nearest campus, Wheaton College, is 3.9 miles away in Wheaton.
What colleges are near Carol Stream?
14 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: College of DuPage (6.3 miles, 18,795 students on campus), William Rainey Harper College (11.6 miles, 10,894) and Triton College (15 miles, 8,418).
What is the closest community college to Carol Stream, and what does it cost?
College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, 6.3 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,560 a year for Illinois residents; the federal net price, $7,401, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Northeastern Illinois University cost if we live in Illinois?
Tuition and fees are $12,383 a year in-state and $22,726 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $13,709 (under $30,000 income) to $25,001 (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 Carol Stream. 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 →
Photo: bogdanstepniak · CC BY 3.0