Sauk Valley Community College is 1.6 miles from Nelson
No college sits inside Nelson’s boundary, but Sauk Valley Community College’s campus in Dixon, with 1,226 students on campus, is 1.6 miles from the center of town. About 1% of Nelson’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 Nelson. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Nelson
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Nelson
It is public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Nelson.
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 and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $30–48k, where Nelson’s median household income ($39,250) 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: 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 Nelson
Is Nelson a college town?
No. About 1 of every 100 Nelson residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Illinois (6). The nearest campus, Sauk Valley Community College, is 1.6 miles away in Dixon.
What colleges are near Nelson?
Within 15 miles: Sauk Valley Community College (1.6 miles, 1,226 students on campus).
What is the closest community college to Nelson, and what does it cost?
Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, 1.6 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,340 a year for Illinois residents; the federal net price, $8,493, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Northern Illinois University cost if we live in Illinois?
Tuition and fees are $13,248 a year in-state and $13,248 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $10,126 (under $30,000 income) to $21,834 (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 Nelson. 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 →