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Highland Park, IL City Hall (8678519504)Photo: Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois · CC BY-SA 2.0
Colleges in and near Highland Park

Lake Forest College is 4.7 miles from Highland Park

No college sits inside Highland Park’s boundary, but Lake Forest College’s campus in Lake Forest, with 1,818 students on campus, is 4.7 miles from the center of town, and Oakton College is 9.1 miles away in Des Plaines. About 4% of Highland Park’s residents are enrolled in college, below Illinois (6%).

Lake Forest College

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 Highland Park. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
10
52,647 students on campus
Nearest college
3.7 mi
Trinity International University-Illinois
Residents in college
4%
Below IL (6%)
Nearest community college
9.1 mi
Oakton College · $3,985 tuition
Nearest public university
14.7 mi
Northeastern Illinois University · $12,383 in-state
Median household income
$168K
prices below start here

What stands out about college from Highland Park

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

A college 4.7 miles awayLake Forest College has 1,818 students on campus in Lake Forest, 78% of whom graduate within six years.A community college 9.1 miles awayOakton College in Des Plaines: tuition and fees $3,985 a year for Illinois residents.In-state price at Northeastern Illinois UniversityLiving in Illinois, Northeastern Illinois University charges $12,383 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $22,726. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.Students are 4% of residentsBelow Illinois (6%). The Census counts anyone enrolled, including part-time and online students.
Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Highland Park

Eight private colleges within 14.8 miles, one public college within 14.7 miles, and Oakton College 9.1 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miNorthwestern UniversityLoyola University ChicagoOakton CollegeHighland Park
University or collegeCommunity college
Trinity International University-IllinoisUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 520 on campus · 3.7 mi · Deerfield100%admitted$3knet price46%graduate$47kearningsEarnings are reported for all 2 campuses that file with it.Lake Forest CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,818 on campus · 4.7 mi · Lake Forest57%admitted$29knet price78%graduate$62kearningsRosalind Franklin University of Medicine and ScienceUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,911 on campus · 8.5 mi · North ChicagoGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Oakton CollegeCommunity college · Public · 5,024 on campus · 9.1 mi · Des Plaines$5knet price37%graduate$48kearningsTuition and fees: $3,985 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Garrett-Evangelical Theological SeminaryUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 236 on campus · 11.1 mi · EvanstonGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Northwestern UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 22,245 on campus · 11.3 mi · Evanston8%admitted$29knet price95%graduate$89kearningsUniversity of Saint Mary of the LakeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 173 on campus · 11.8 mi · MundeleinGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Hebrew Theological CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 190 on campus · 12.2 mi · Skokie57%admitted$27knet price50%graduate$33kearningsNortheastern Illinois UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 4,492 on campus · 14.7 mi · Chicago75%admitted$14knet price22%graduate$52kearningsLoyola University ChicagoUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 16,038 on campus · 14.8 mi · Chicago82%admitted$36knet price73%graduate$72kearnings

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. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at Over $110k, where Highland Park’s median household income ($168,094) falls.

Oakton College9.1 mi · Des Plaines · sticker $11,431 · tuition $3,985$11,431a year
Northeastern Illinois University14.7 mi · Chicago · sticker $26,960$25,001a year
Hebrew Theological College12.2 mi · Skokie · sticker $35,559$35,059a year
Lake Forest College4.7 mi · Lake Forest · sticker $70,655$35,341a year
Loyola University Chicago14.8 mi · Chicago · sticker $67,408$42,346a year
Northwestern University11.3 mi · Evanston · sticker $91,250$48,777a year
Trinity International University-Illinois3.7 mi · Deerfield · sticker $16,515—a 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 within 15 miles of Highland Park: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k$100k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Trinity International University-IllinoisLake Forest CollegeOakton CollegeNorthwestern UniversityNortheastern Illinois UniversityLoyola University Chicago
Northwestern University95% graduate$89k earnings$15k typical debt
Loyola University Chicago73% graduate$72k earnings$24k typical debt
Oakton College37% graduate$48k earnings$5k typical debt
Northeastern Illinois University22% graduate$52k earnings$15k typical debt
Lake Forest College78% graduate$62k earnings$26k typical debt
Trinity International University-Illinois46% graduate$47k earnings*$26k typical debt
Hebrew Theological College50% graduate$33k earnings$14k 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: Trinity International University-Illinois (2).

Questions about college near Highland Park

Is Highland Park a college town?

No. About 4 of every 100 Highland Park residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below Illinois (6). The nearest campus, Trinity International University-Illinois, is 3.7 miles away in Deerfield.

What colleges are near Highland Park?

10 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: Northwestern University (11.3 miles, 22,245 students on campus), Loyola University Chicago (14.8 miles, 16,038) and Oakton College (9.1 miles, 5,024).

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

Oakton College in Des Plaines, 9.1 miles away. Tuition and fees are $3,985 a year for Illinois residents; the federal net price, $5,183, 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.

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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 Highland Park. 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 →