Best Medical Assistant programs in Illinois, ranked by enrollment
Perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of a physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes.
42 schools in Illinois run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,277 people a year. The job pays a median of $46,090 in Illinois across about 20,260 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Illinois that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
3 programs in Illinois that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Illinois (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Illinois page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medical/Clinical Assistantmain feeder CIP 51.0801In Illinois → | 1,098 | 86.0% | 41 | $29,507 | $11,000 |
| 2 | CIP 51.0711In Illinois → | 178 | 13.9% | 1 | $30,774 | $17,375 |
| 3 | Anesthesiologist Assistantmain feeder CIP 51.0809In Illinois → | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | $29,507 | $11,000 |
Top 25 schools in Illinois
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 22 of the 42 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Louis University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 178 | Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist | $46,203 | 30% | $18,904 | 95% |
| 2 | Midwest Technical Institute - Illinois Springfield, IL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 164 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | $25,826 | 69% | $28,377 | — |
| 3 | Lincoln College of Technology - Melrose Park Melrose Park, IL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 162 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | $31,098 | 68% | $25,508 | — |
| 4 | City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College Chicago, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 117 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | $35,140 | 18% | — | — |
| 5 | First Institute of Travel, Inc. Crystal Lake, IL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 100 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | $33,597 | 72% | $22,241 | — |
| 6 | Rasmussen University - Illinois Rockford, IL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 60 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | $29,532 | 43% | $19,427 | — |
| 7 | Midwestern Career College Chicago, IL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 59 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | $31,998 | 54% | $12,455 | — |
| 8 | College of Lake County Grayslake, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 41 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | — | 37% | — | — |
| 9 | Lincoln Land Community College Springfield, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 29 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | $31,324 | 48% | — | — |
| 10 | Lake Land College Mattoon, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 24 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | $32,934 | 58% | — | — |
| 11 | Lewis and Clark Community College Godfrey, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 24 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | $32,224 | 44% | — | — |
| 12 | Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | — | 39% | — | — |
| 13 | State Career College Gurnee, IL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | $26,123 | 74% | $18,903 | — |
| 14 | Parkland College Champaign, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 20 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | $36,872 | 32% | — | — |
| 15 | Elgin Community College Elgin, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | $46,319 | 41% | — | — |
| 16 | William Rainey Harper College Palatine, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | $36,111 | 48% | — | — |
| 17 | Southwestern Illinois College Belleville, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | — | 36% | — | — |
| 18 | Carl Sandburg College Galesburg, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | — | 50% | — | — |
| 19 | Northwest Suburban College Rollng Meadows, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | — | — | — | — |
| 20 | CALC Institute of Technology Alton, IL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | $23,038 | 50% | — | — |
| 21 | College of DuPage Glen Ellyn, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 13 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | $40,196 | 25% | — | — |
| 22 | Fox College Tinley Park, IL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | $42,418 | 71% | $14,407 | 70% |
| 23 | Joliet Junior College Joliet, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | — | 21% | — | — |
| 24 | Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | — | 40% | — | — |
| 25 | Kishwaukee College Malta, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Medical/Clinical Assistant | — | 45% | — | — |
All 42 schools in Illinois
Every school in Illinois with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Louis University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 178 | 1 |
| Midwest Technical Institute - Illinois | Springfield | Private for-profit | 164 | 1 |
| Lincoln College of Technology - Melrose Park | Melrose Park | Private for-profit | 162 | 1 |
| City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College | Chicago | Public | 117 | 1 |
| First Institute of Travel, Inc. | Crystal Lake | Private for-profit | 100 | 1 |
| Rasmussen University - Illinois | Rockford | Private for-profit | 60 | 1 |
| Midwestern Career College | Chicago | Private for-profit | 59 | 1 |
| College of Lake County | Grayslake | Public | 41 | 1 |
| Lincoln Land Community College | Springfield | Public | 29 | 1 |
| Lake Land College | Mattoon | Public | 24 | 1 |
| Lewis and Clark Community College | Godfrey | Public | 24 | 1 |
| Waubonsee Community College | Sugar Grove | Public | 22 | 1 |
| State Career College | Gurnee | Private for-profit | 21 | 1 |
| Parkland College | Champaign | Public | 20 | 1 |
| Elgin Community College | Elgin | Public | 18 | 1 |
What medical assistants earn in Illinois
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $45,690. Illinois pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Illinois
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Medical Assistants page.
How to become a Medical Assistant
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Illinois
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 4 majors mapped to Medical Assistants3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 51.0711Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist
- 51.0801Medical/Clinical Assistant
- 51.0809Anesthesiologist Assistant
- 51.0813Chiropractic Technician/Assistant(no graduates reported)
Common questions
Answers for people weighing medical assistants programs in Illinois.
What degree do you need to become a Medical Assistant?+
Postsecondary nondegree award is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Medical/Clinical Assistant, which awarded 1,098 degrees in Illinois in 2024-25, 86.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Medical Assistant?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services, Health and Medical Administrative Services. Together they graduate about 1,277 people a year in Illinois.
How much do medical assistants earn in Illinois?+
The median is $46,090 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 0.9% above the U.S. median of $45,690. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for medical assistants growing?+
BLS projects a +12.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 112,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Illinois?+
42 institutions in Illinois reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do medical assistants work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Doctor's Assistant, Chiropractor Assistant, Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 31-9092.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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