Photo: Daniel Schwen · CC BY-SA 4.0The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is 14.9 miles from Royal
No college sits inside Royal’s boundary, but the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s campus in Champaign, with 47,566 students on campus, is 14.9 miles from the center of town, and Parkland College is 17.3 miles away in Champaign. About 7% of Royal’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 Royal. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Royal
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Royal
It is public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Royal.
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 $75–110k, where Royal’s median household income ($86,250) 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 within 15 miles of Royal: 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 Royal
Is Royal a college town?
No. About 7 of every 100 Royal residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Illinois (6). The nearest campus, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is 14.9 miles away in Champaign.
What colleges are near Royal?
Within 15 miles: the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (14.9 miles, 47,566 students on campus).
What is the closest community college to Royal, and what does it cost?
Parkland College in Champaign, 17.3 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,284 a year for Illinois residents; the federal net price, $8,048, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign cost if we live in Illinois?
Tuition and fees are $16,004 a year in-state and $35,124 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $2,038 (under $30,000 income) to $28,761 (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 Royal. 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 →