Photo: AlphaBeta135 · CC BY 4.0The University of St Francis is 9.8 miles from Manhattan
No college sits inside Manhattan’s boundary, but the University of St Francis’s campus in Joliet, with 1,582 students on campus, is 9.8 miles from the center of town, and Joliet Junior College is 11.8 miles away in Joliet. About 5% of Manhattan’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 Manhattan. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Manhattan
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Manhattan
Three private colleges within 14.2 miles, one public college within 13.8 miles, and Joliet Junior College 11.8 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 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 Over $110k, where Manhattan’s median household income ($128,522) 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 Manhattan: 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 Manhattan
Is Manhattan a college town?
No. About 5 of every 100 Manhattan residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Illinois (6). The nearest campus, the University of St Francis, is 9.8 miles away in Joliet.
What colleges are near Manhattan?
Within 15 miles: the University of St Francis (9.8 miles, 1,582 students on campus), Joliet Junior College (11.8 miles, 8,123), Lewis University (13.8 miles, 5,289), Governors State University (13.8 miles, 2,773) and Fox College (14.2 miles, 239).
What is the closest community college to Manhattan, and what does it cost?
Joliet Junior College in Joliet, 11.8 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,530 a year for Illinois residents; the federal net price, $1,672, 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 Manhattan. 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 →