Precision Metal Working programs in Illinois
72 schools in Illinois teach this, at certificate or associate level. 11 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $49,019 at Elgin Community College.
What this work pays in Illinois
Machinists in Illinois earn a median of $58,520 a year across 16,520 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | $51,320 | 16,260 |
| Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators | $48,420 | 8,170 |
| Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $48,990 | 8,060 |
| Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $44,350 | 6,090 |
| Tool and Die Makers | $61,170 | 5,220 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin Community College Elgin | Associate's degree | — | $49,019 (13 grads) | 14 |
| Elgin Community College Elgin | Undergraduate certificate | — | $36,674 (12 grads) | 47 |
| Lincoln College of Technology-Melrose Park Melrose Park | Undergraduate certificate | $9,987 | $34,467 (250 grads) | 37 |
| John Wood Community College Quincy | Undergraduate certificate | — | $32,925 (32 grads) | 15 |
| ETI School of Skilled Trades Willowbrook | Undergraduate certificate | $9,500 | $32,350 (153 grads) | 95 |
| Southwestern Illinois College Belleville | Associate's degree | — | $30,554 (82 grads) | 30 |
| Midwest Technical Institute-Illinois Springfield | Undergraduate certificate | $9,500 | $28,157 (714 grads) | 250 |
| Illinois Central College East Peoria | Undergraduate certificate | — | $26,353 (13 grads) | 56 |
| Southwestern Illinois College Belleville | Undergraduate certificate | $5,500 | $21,964 (40 grads) | 249 |
| Lincoln Land Community College Springfield | Undergraduate certificate | — | $20,824 (11 grads) | 89 |
| Black Hawk College Moline | Undergraduate certificate | — | $13,702 (14 grads) | 13 |
| Lewis and Clark Community College Godfrey | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 125 |
| Sauk Valley Community College Dixon | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 39 |
| Stautzenberger College-Rockford Career College Rockford | Undergraduate certificate | $13,000 | not published | 36 |
| Universal Technical Institute of Illinois Inc Lisle | Undergraduate certificate | $9,500 | not published | 90 |
| Carl Sandburg College Galesburg | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 17 |
| Carl Sandburg College Galesburg | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College Chicago | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College Chicago | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 49 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College Chicago | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 30 |
| College of DuPage Glen Ellyn | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 19 |
| College of DuPage Glen Ellyn | Associate's degree | — | not published | 6 |
| College of Lake County Grayslake | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 30 |
| College of Lake County Grayslake | Associate's degree | — | not published | 8 |
| Danville Area Community College Danville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 19 |
| Heartland Community College Normal | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 62 |
| Highland Community College Freeport | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 19 |
| Highland Community College Freeport | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Illinois Central College East Peoria | Associate's degree | — | not published | 3 |
| Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Olney | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 8 |
| Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Olney | Associate's degree | — | not published | 3 |
| Illinois Valley Community College Oglesby | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 38 |
| Illinois Valley Community College Oglesby | Associate's degree | — | not published | 11 |
| John A Logan College Carterville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 56 |
| John A Logan College Carterville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 6 |
| John Wood Community College Quincy | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Joliet Junior College Joliet | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 140 |
| Joliet Junior College Joliet | Associate's degree | — | not published | 11 |
| Kankakee Community College Kankakee | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 26 |
| Kankakee Community College Kankakee | Associate's degree | — | not published | 6 |
| Kaskaskia College Centralia | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 28 |
| Kaskaskia College Centralia | Associate's degree | — | not published | 3 |
| Kishwaukee College Malta | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 3 |
| Kishwaukee College Malta | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Lake Land College Mattoon | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 56 |
| Lake Land College Mattoon | Associate's degree | — | not published | 3 |
| Lewis and Clark Community College Godfrey | Associate's degree | — | not published | 11 |
| McHenry County College Crystal Lake | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 12 |
| Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 137 |
| Morton College Cicero | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 8 |
| Oakton College Des Plaines | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Parkland College Champaign | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 12 |
| Prairie State College Chicago Heights | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 9 |
| Prairie State College Chicago Heights | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Rend Lake College Ina | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 58 |
| Rend Lake College Ina | Associate's degree | — | not published | 9 |
| Richland Community College Decatur | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 8 |
| Richland Community College Decatur | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Rock Valley College Rockford | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 61 |
| Sauk Valley Community College Dixon | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Shawnee Community College Ullin | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 57 |
| Shawnee Community College Ullin | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| South Suburban College South Holland | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Southeastern Illinois College Harrisburg | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 25 |
| Southeastern Illinois College Harrisburg | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Spoon River College Canton | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 29 |
| Spoon River College Canton | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Triton College River Grove | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 24 |
| Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 27 |
| Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| William Rainey Harper College Palatine | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 68 |
| William Rainey Harper College Palatine | Associate's degree | — | not published | 9 |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Precision Metal Working — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.