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State St Bridge - South Elgin, IL - November 2025Photo: AlphaBeta135 · CC BY 4.0
Colleges in and near South Elgin

Elgin Community College is 2 miles from South Elgin

No college sits inside South Elgin’s boundary, but Elgin Community College’s campus in Elgin, with 8,241 students on campus, is 2 miles from the center of town. About 6% of South Elgin’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois (6%).

Elgin Community 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 South Elgin. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
6
25,441 students on campus
Nearest college
2 mi
Elgin
Residents in college
6%
About the same as IL (6%)
Nearest community college
2 mi
Elgin · $3,252 tuition
Nearest public university
23.6 mi
Northern Illinois University · $13,248 in-state
Median household income
$127K
prices below start here

What stands out about college from South Elgin

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

A community college 2 miles awayElgin Community College has 8,241 students on campus in Elgin, 41% of whom graduate within three years.In-state price at Northern Illinois UniversityLiving in Illinois, Northern Illinois University charges $13,248 in tuition and fees, the same for every student.Students are 6% of residentsAbout the same as Illinois (6%). The Census counts anyone enrolled, including part-time and online students.
Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of South Elgin

Four private colleges within 14.4 miles, and two community colleges. The nearest public four-year college, Northern Illinois University, is 23.6 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miWilliam Rainey Harper CollegeElginWheaton CollegeSouth Elgin
University or collegeCommunity college
Elgin Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 8,241 on campus · 2 mi · Elgin$6knet price41%graduate$46kearningsTuition and fees: $3,252 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Judson UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 958 on campus · 5.1 mi · Elgin48%admitted$19knet price60%graduate$56kearningsAmbria College of NursingUniversity or college · For-profit · 195 on campus · 7.9 mi · Hoffman Estates$67kearningsWheaton CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 2,613 on campus · 13.8 mi · Wheaton87%admitted$27knet price85%graduate$64kearningsWilliam Rainey Harper CollegeCommunity college · Public · 10,894 on campus · 13.9 mi · Palatine$12knet price48%graduate$48kearningsTuition and fees: $3,894 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Chamberlain University-IllinoisUniversity or college · For-profit · 2,540 on campus · 14.4 mi · Addison · mostly online83%admitted$32knet price42%graduate$92kearnings91% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Earnings are reported for all 15 campuses that file with it.

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 Over $110k, where South Elgin’s median household income ($127,203) falls.

Elgin Community College2 mi · Elgin · sticker $10,408 · tuition $3,252$9,083a year
William Rainey Harper College13.9 mi · Palatine · sticker $19,288 · tuition $3,894$18,676a year
Judson University5.1 mi · Elgin · sticker $43,137$21,515a year
Northern Illinois University23.6 mi · Dekalb · sticker $28,851$21,834a year
Wheaton College13.8 mi · Wheaton · sticker $59,263$33,435a year
Chamberlain University-Illinois14.4 mi · Addison · mostly online · sticker $40,826$40,826a 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$80k$100k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →ElginJudson UniversityWheaton CollegeWilliam Rainey Harper CollegeChamberlain University-IllinoisNorthern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University49% graduate$58k earnings$22k typical debt
William Rainey Harper College48% graduate$48k earnings$10k typical debt
Elgin Community College41% graduate$46k earnings$7k typical debt
Wheaton College85% graduate$64k earnings$23k typical debt
Chamberlain University-Illinois42% graduate$92k earnings*$21k typical debt
Judson University60% graduate$56k earnings$25k 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: Chamberlain University-Illinois (15).

Questions about college near South Elgin

Is South Elgin a college town?

No. About 6 of every 100 South Elgin residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Illinois (6). The nearest campus, Elgin Community College, is 2 miles away in Elgin.

What colleges are near South Elgin?

Within 15 miles: Elgin Community College (2 miles, 8,241 students on campus), Judson University (5.1 miles, 958), Ambria College of Nursing (7.9 miles, 195), Wheaton College (13.8 miles, 2,613), William Rainey Harper College (13.9 miles, 10,894) and Chamberlain University-Illinois (14.4 miles, 2,540).

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

Elgin Community College in Elgin, 2 miles away. Tuition and fees are $3,252 a year for Illinois residents; the federal net price, $6,026, 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.

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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 South Elgin. 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 →