About
Elgin Community College (ECC) is a public community college in Elgin, Illinois. It was founded in 1949 as part of Elgin Area School District U46. Community College District 509 was formed 17 years later in 1966, a year after Illinois legislators created the Illinois Community College System. Most of the District is in Kane County with portions in DeKalb, Cook, McHenry, and DuPage. The 360-square-mile (930 km2) District serves 300,000 people, 11,000 businesses, four public school districts, and 15 high schools.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates, a notably small equity gap.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 89 Title IV programs, 3 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 86 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing3 · 3.4%
- No Data86 · 96.6%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Higher Learning Commission
Programmatic accreditations · 7
Action history · 16
- Jan 2026Renewal of AccreditationHigher Learning Commission
- Dec 2025Renewal of AccreditationJoint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
- Aug 2025Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: ProbationJoint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
- Jun 2025Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: ProbationJoint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
- Oct 2024Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PTA) - Programs for the physical therapist assistant
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 3,227 students received $13.3M in Pell grants, alongside $1.3M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 478 borrowers who entered repayment, 12 (2.5%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Elgin Community College
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 7
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Elgin Community College vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Elgin Community College selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectElgin Community College | 41% | — | 10,251 | $6,026 | Community College |
| — | — | 26,224 | $7,401 | Community College | |
| — | — | 12,530 | $7,607 | Community College | |
| — | — | 14,414 | $1,672 | Community College | |
| — | — | 2,969 | $4,574 | Community College | |
| — | — | 9,399 | $7,042 | Community College | |
| — | — | 11,296 | $2,829 | Community College | |
| — | — | 8,329 | $5,183 | Community College | |
| — | — | 9,842 | $4,138 | Community College | |
| — | — | 8,305 | $11,442 | Community College | |
| — | — | 13,988 | $11,607 | Community College | |
| Peer group median | 41% | — | 10,251 | $6,026 |
Institutions like Elgin Community College
Explore the federal data for institutions in Elgin Community College's comparison group.
- Community CollegeIllinois
College of DuPage
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment26,224Net price$7,401View data - Community CollegeIllinois
College of Lake County
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment12,530Net price$7,607View data - Community CollegeIllinois
Joliet Junior College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment14,414Net price$1,672View data - Community CollegeIllinois
Kishwaukee College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment2,969Net price$4,574View data - Community CollegeIllinois
McHenry County College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment9,399Net price$7,042View data - Community CollegeIllinois
Moraine Valley Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment11,296Net price$2,829View data - Community CollegeIllinois
Oakton College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment8,329Net price$5,183View data - Community CollegeIllinois
Triton College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment9,842Net price$4,138View data - Community CollegeIllinois
Waubonsee Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment8,305Net price$11,442View data - Community CollegeIllinois
William Rainey Harper College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment13,988Net price$11,607View data
Elgin Community College Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
Links to important documents, including procedural documents and self-study reports, related to the college’s management and life are provided.
Visit IR office page- Phil GarberVice President of Planning, Institutional Effectiveness & Technology
- Philip GarberAccreditation Liaison Officer
Reports & documents (3)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DashboardDashboardcetl.student.elgin.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic plan2023 - 2027 Strategic Plan2023Elgin Community College created their 2023-2027 Strategic Plan entirely virtually for the first time. The process utilized digital tools such as Zoom breakout rooms, Google Docs, and Padlet to ensure effective participant engagement. This innovative approach marks a significant shift from traditional in-person discussions, emphasizing adaptability and collaboration.elgin.edu
Grants & funding (1)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
Frequently asked questions about Elgin Community College
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Elgin Community College.
What is the graduation rate at Elgin Community College?
How many students attend Elgin Community College?
What is the average net price at Elgin Community College?
Where is Elgin Community College located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Elgin Community College?
About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
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