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Colleges in and near Lebanon

Lebanon is a college town: 30 of every 100 residents are students

McKendree University (1,505 students on campus) is inside the city. Across Illinois, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town30% of residents are studentsMcKendree 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 Lebanon. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
2
8,241 students on campus
Nearest college
0.6 mi
McKendree University
Residents in college
30%
Above IL (6%)
Nearest community college
8.5 mi
Southwestern Illinois College · $3,960 tuition
Nearest public university
16.8 mi
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville · $12,922 in-state
Students on campus in Lebanon
1,505
next to 4,884 residents

What stands out about college in Lebanon

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

A college town30 of every 100 Lebanon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.A university in LebanonMcKendree University has 1,505 students on campus in Lebanon, 53% of whom graduate within six years.A community college 8.5 miles awaySouthwestern Illinois College in Belleville: tuition and fees $3,960 a year for Illinois residents.In-state price at Southern Illinois University EdwardsvilleLiving in Illinois, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville charges $12,922 in tuition and fees, the same for every student.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Lebanon

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

30 of every 100 Lebanon residents are in college (IL: 6).

1,505students on campus at McKendree University, next to 4,884 residents (dorm students count as residents)
644college students live in Lebanon households rather than dorms
30.2median age · IL 39.0
52%of residents are women · IL 51% (±0.8 points)
40%of homes rented · IL 33%
$1,091median rent · 14% below the state
LebanonLebanon, IL
Cost of living$1,091/mo median rentBSafetyCrime reported to the FBIA−HealthCDC estimatesA−Jobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundBHandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Lebanon’s 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: 13.9% of Lebanon residents are below the poverty line, 12.6% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 7 points either way). 20% 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 B

The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (30% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health A−

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Lebanon’s median age is 30.2 (Illinois 39.0), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety A−

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 Lebanon

One private college within 0.6 miles, and Southwestern Illinois College 8.5 miles away. The nearest public four-year college, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, is 16.8 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miSouthwestern Illinois CollegeMcKendree UniversityLebanon
University or collegeCommunity college
McKendree UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,505 on campus · In Lebanon72%admitted$25knet price53%graduate$59kearningsSouthwestern Illinois CollegeCommunity college · Public · 6,736 on campus · 8.5 mi · Belleville$10knet price36%graduate$37kearningsTuition and fees: $3,960 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 Lebanon’s median household income ($88,750) falls.

Southwestern Illinois College8.5 mi · Belleville · sticker $16,249 · tuition $3,960$14,512a year
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville16.8 mi · Edwardsville · sticker $28,919$19,351a year
McKendree UniversityIn Lebanon · sticker $48,845$28,333a 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 →McKendree UniversitySouthwestern Illinois CollegeSouthern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville57% graduate$56k earnings$20k typical debt
Southwestern Illinois College36% graduate$37k earnings$7k typical debt
McKendree University53% graduate$59k earnings$23k 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 Lebanon

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

Business 28%Health professions 18%Education 15%Parks & recreation 12%Social sciences 8%Psychology 6%Everything else 14%

Biggest programs

Business Administration, Management and Operations51 graduates a year
$61k4 yrs out
Psychology, General34 graduates a year
$38k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness32 graduates a year
$53k4 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing27 graduates a year
$80k4 yrs out
Biopsychology21 graduates a year
$58k4 yrs out
Marketing19 graduates a year
$66k4 yrs out
Sociology18 graduates a year
$52k4 yrs out
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods14 graduates a year
$69k4 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 Lebanon

Is Lebanon a college town?

Yes. 30 of every 100 Lebanon residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Illinois. McKendree University has 1,505 students on campus, next to 4,884 residents.

What colleges are in Lebanon?

McKendree University is inside the city. Southwestern Illinois College is 8.5 miles away in Belleville.

Why is Lebanon’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 13.9% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 12.6% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 7 points).

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

Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, 8.5 miles away. Tuition and fees are $3,960 a year for Illinois residents; the federal net price, $10,427, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into McKendree University?

McKendree University admitted 72% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year.

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 Lebanon. 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 →