Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants programs in Illinois
57 schools in Illinois teach this, at certificate or associate level. 22 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $55,693 at Verve College.
What this work pays in Illinois
Nursing Assistants in Illinois earn a median of $45,960 a year across 68,640 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | $75,000 | 17,440 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verve College Oak Brook | Undergraduate certificate | $11,600 | $55,693 (73 grads) | 100 |
| Ambria College of Nursing Hoffman Estates | Undergraduate certificate | $9,500 | $50,606 (43 grads) | 31 |
| MDT College of Health Sciences Chicago | Undergraduate certificate | $19,500 | $48,901 (127 grads) | 106 |
| Career Center of Southern Illinois Red Bud | Undergraduate certificate | $15,170 | $39,729 (69 grads) | 60 |
| CALC Institute of Technology Alton | Undergraduate certificate | — | $39,585 (20 grads) | 8 |
| Capital Area Career Center Springfield | Undergraduate certificate | $9,500 | $38,649 (91 grads) | 79 |
| Rasmussen University-Illinois Rockford | Undergraduate certificate | $14,167 | $37,868 (263 grads) | 0 |
| Stautzenberger College-Rockford Career College Rockford | Undergraduate certificate | $20,000 | $37,856 (63 grads) | — |
| Carl Sandburg College Galesburg | Undergraduate certificate | — | $37,568 (18 grads) | 8 |
| Black Hawk College Moline | Undergraduate certificate | — | $33,281 (38 grads) | 89 |
| Kaskaskia College Centralia | Undergraduate certificate | — | $31,314 (26 grads) | 173 |
| William Rainey Harper College Palatine | Undergraduate certificate | $6,258 | $31,127 (20 grads) | 626 |
| Illinois Central College East Peoria | Undergraduate certificate | $7,500 | $30,771 (12 grads) | 615 |
| Sauk Valley Community College Dixon | Undergraduate certificate | $8,320 | $28,960 (17 grads) | 122 |
| Rock Valley College Rockford | Undergraduate certificate | — | $23,649 (17 grads) | 187 |
| John Wood Community College Quincy | Undergraduate certificate | — | $21,508 (29 grads) | 50 |
| Lake Land College Mattoon | Undergraduate certificate | $6,118 | $20,824 (19 grads) | 137 |
| Lincoln Land Community College Springfield | Undergraduate certificate | $6,951 | $19,358 (38 grads) | 213 |
| McHenry County College Crystal Lake | Undergraduate certificate | — | $19,227 (20 grads) | 186 |
| Southwestern Illinois College Belleville | Undergraduate certificate | $3,500 | $19,144 (31 grads) | 278 |
| Lewis and Clark Community College Godfrey | Undergraduate certificate | — | $18,087 (25 grads) | 37 |
| Triton College River Grove | Undergraduate certificate | — | $18,087 (13 grads) | 144 |
| CAAN Academy of Nursing Matteson | Undergraduate certificate | $12,750 | not published | 19 |
| College of DuPage Glen Ellyn | Undergraduate certificate | $8,312 | not published | 154 |
| Danville Area Community College Danville | Undergraduate certificate | $6,600 | not published | 81 |
| Illinois Valley Community College Oglesby | Undergraduate certificate | $5,500 | not published | 143 |
| John A Logan College Carterville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 139 |
| John A Logan College Carterville | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Joliet Junior College Joliet | Undergraduate certificate | $8,403 | not published | 162 |
| Parkland College Champaign | Undergraduate certificate | $4,370 | not published | 133 |
| Prairie State College Chicago Heights | Undergraduate certificate | $8,750 | not published | 88 |
| Ambria College of Nursing Hoffman Estates | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Americare Technical School Park Ridge | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 32 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College Chicago | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 315 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College Chicago | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| College of Lake County Grayslake | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 300 |
| Elgin Community College Elgin | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 9 |
| Heartland Community College Normal | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 218 |
| Highland Community College Freeport | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 95 |
| Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Olney | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 86 |
| Kankakee Community College Kankakee | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 53 |
| Kishwaukee College Malta | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 85 |
| Methodist College Peoria | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 12 |
| Midwest Technical Institute-Illinois Springfield | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 88 |
| Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 675 |
| Morton College Cicero | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 36 |
| Oakton College Des Plaines | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 211 |
| Rend Lake College Ina | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 184 |
| Richland Community College Decatur | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 94 |
| Sauk Valley Community College Dixon | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Shawnee Community College Ullin | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 57 |
| South Suburban College South Holland | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 105 |
| Southeastern Illinois College Harrisburg | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 27 |
| Spoon River College Canton | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 43 |
| State Career College Gurnee | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 34 |
| Verve College Oak Brook | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 70 |
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 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.