Private (for-profit)

Gem City College

Quincy, Illinois·Private for-profit, less-than 2-year·Great Lakes·gemcitycollege.com

Gem City College has open admission, so it admits all applicants who meet basic requirements (effectively a 100% acceptance rate). 87% of students graduate within 150% of normal time, per 2024 IPEDS data. Fall enrollment is 41 students, and 56 enrolled over the full 12-month year (2024). Source: IPEDS.

Acceptance
100%
Open admission
Graduation (150% time)
87%
—
Total enrollment
41
peer median 48
Avg net price
$11,843
-$6.0k vs peer
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AboutOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsCampus safetyFacultyPeersDocuments

About

Gem City College is a vocational institution located in Quincy, Illinois, founded in 1870. It offers programs in cosmetology and horology, including clock repair, jewelry design, and watchmaking. The college is approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education and serves a range of students with a focus on practical education in the beauty and horology fields.

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
87%
Full-time retention
83%

Pell equity

23.1pp gap
Pell recipients
100%10 of 10
Non-Pell (all)
77%10 of 13
Subsidized loan, no Pell
100%8 of 8
No Federal Aid
40%2 of 5

Pell recipients here graduate at a 23.1-point higher rate than non-Pell students, unusual and worth a closer look.

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.

FVT/GE

Of 2 Title IV programs, 0 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 2 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
2
Passing
0
0.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

2programs
  • Passing0 · 0.0%
  • No Data2 · 100.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
0
No data
2

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.

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Council on Occupational Education

Accredited since 2018Next review Dec 2029
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools

Accredited since 1954

Action history · 2

  1. Sep 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Council on Occupational Education
  2. Mar 2018Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$9,735
$30–48k$14,255
$48–75k$16,347
$75–110k—
$110k+—

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$11,843
-$5,980vs peer median $17,823
Federal loans
57.1%

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 23 students received $147K in Pell grants, alongside $236K in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
23
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$147K
$147,080 total
Direct Loans
$236K
46 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
’20
0k
’21
0k
’22
0k
’23
0k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$80K
19 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$100K
24 loan awards
Parent PLUS$55K
3 loan awards

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.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 53 borrowers who entered repayment, 3 (5.6%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
5.6%
+3.3pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
53
Defaulted
3
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
7.0%
2017
5.4%
2018
5.0%
2019
5.6%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* 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.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Gem City College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs3
UndergraduateOffered

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
41
12-mo unduplicated
56
Undergraduate
56
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
29%16
Women
71%40

Race / ethnicity composition

White
92.7%
Black
4.9%
Hispanic
2.4%

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 42 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
0
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    IPEDS
    Student-to-faculty
    10.0:1

    Gem City College vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Gem City College selected for federal comparison reporting.

    IPEDS
    6-yr gradRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    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
    SubjectGem City College
    		—Open admission41$11,843—
    Academy of Beauty Professionals
    		—Open admission31$22,510—
    Adrian H. Wallace Barber Academy
    		—Open admission33$11,915—
    Arthur's Beauty College
    		—Open admission29$18,200—
    Baltimore Studio of Hair Design
    		—Open admission34$17,140—
    Beaver Beauty Academy
    		—Open admission47$9,194—
    Beyond Measure Barbering Institute
    		—Open admission38$11,406—
    Borner's Barber College
    		—Open admission54$21,275—
    Butte Academy of Beauty Culture
    		—Open admission—$9,031—
    Celebrity Stylist Beauty School
    		—Open admission51$13,793—
    Ea La Mar's Cosmetology & Barber College
    		—Open admission31$17,823—
    EINE Inc
    		—Open admission47$22,951—
    Elite Academy of Hair Design
    		—Open admission61$14,456—
    Empire Beauty School-Peekskill
    		—Open admission49$19,310—
    Exposito School of Hair Design
    		—Open admission14$16,133—
    Franklin Hair Academy School of Cosmetology
    		—Open admission116$22,321—
    Hair Professionals Career College
    		—Open admission55$19,133—
    Innovate Salon Academy
    		—Open admission288$42,607—
    Institute of Advanced Medical Esthetics
    		—Open admission7$10,219—
    JT's Cuts Academy
    		—Open admission37$15,305—
    La James International College-Cedar Falls
    		—Open admission54$18,569—
    Ohio State School of Cosmetology-Canal Winchester
    		—Open admission57$18,476—
    Phagans Beauty College
    		—Open admission59$12,611—
    Pineville Beauty School
    		—Open admission45$9,312—
    Ponca City Beauty College
    		—Open admission38$7,597—
    Prestige Health & Beauty Sciences Academy
    		—100.0%119$24,015—
    Protege Academy
    		—Open admission72$12,179—
    Pure Aesthetics Natural Skincare School
    		—Open admission53$19,831—
    Reflections Academy of Beauty
    		—Open admission40$20,082—
    Riggins Urban Barber College
    		—Open admission85$20,155—
    William Edge Institute
    		—Open admission73$20,177—
    Peer group median—100.0%48$17,823

    Institutions like Gem City College

    Explore the federal data for institutions in Gem City College's comparison group.

    IPEDS

    Reports & documents (1)

    Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

    Frequently asked questions about Gem City College

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Gem City College.

    What is the acceptance rate at Gem City College?

    Gem City College has an open admission policy, so it admits all applicants who meet basic requirements (effectively a 100% acceptance rate). Some programs, such as nursing, may have separate selective admission. IPEDS does not collect an admit rate for open-admission colleges.

    What is the graduation rate at Gem City College?

    At Gem City College, 87% of students graduate within 150% of normal time, per 2024 IPEDS data.

    How many students attend Gem City College?

    Gem City College reports a total enrollment of 41 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Gem City College?

    The average net price at Gem City College is $11,843 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Gem City College located?

    Gem City College is located in Quincy, Illinois 62301.

    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.

    IPEDSFall 2025–26 release, published July 28, 2026
    Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
    National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
    College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
    Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
    U.S. Department of Education
    FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
    Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
    U.S. Department of Education
    DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
    Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Federal Pell Grant & loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Pell Grant and Direct Loan recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
    Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
    Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
    Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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