Community CollegePublic

Highland Community College

Freeport, Illinois·Public, 2-year·Great Lakes·highland.edu
6-yr Graduation
45%
—
Total enrollment
1,360
peer median 2,156
Avg net price
$5,713
-$382 vs Community College
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AboutOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeDocumentsGrants

About

Highland Community College is a public community college located in Freeport, Illinois. The college serves approximately 6,000 students and offers more than 60 degree and certificate programs with a focus on comprehensive academic programming, cultural opportunities, and athletics.

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
45%
Full-time retention
70%

Pell equity

19.2pp gap
Pell recipients
35%38 of 109
Non-Pell (all)
54%64 of 118
No Federal Aid
54%64 of 118

Non-Pell students graduate at a 19.2-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

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 45 Title IV programs, 3 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 42 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
45
Passing
3
6.7% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

45programs
  • Passing3 · 6.7%
  • No Data42 · 93.3%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
1
Safe
1
No data
42

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.

3
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+9.9%
$38,237 vs $34,808
Biological and Physical Sciences
Associate Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+18.4%
$41,202 vs $34,808
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+112.9%
$74,116 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

1
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
17%
$12,525 debt · $74,116 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1973Next review Aug 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 5

  1. Nov 2022Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
  2. Apr 2022Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
  3. Mar 2021Initial Accreditation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
  4. Nov 2019Accreditation Reaffirmed: Warning Removed
    Higher Learning Commission
  5. Nov 2017Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Warning
    Higher Learning Commission

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$3,598
$30–48k$5,256
$48–75k$6,045
$75–110k$10,242
$110k+$13,161

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

Avg net price
$5,713
-$382vs Community College median $6,095
Federal loans
5.2%
In-state tuition
$4,936
Out-of-state
$7,360

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, 603 students received $2.7M in Pell grants, alongside $345K in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
603
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.7M
$2,713,638 total
Direct Loans
$345K
107 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
1k
’21
0k
’22
1k
’23
1k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$162K
53 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$183K
54 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 172 borrowers who entered repayment, 7 (4.0%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
4.0%
+1.7pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
172
Defaulted
7
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
18.7%
2017
12.3%
2018
10.0%
2019
4.0%
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 Highland Community College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs49
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

230 total completions
01Liberal Arts
12052.2%
02Multi/Interdisciplinary
5323.0%
03Health Professions
2310.0%
04Family/Consumer Sci
104.3%
05Business
83.5%
06Engineering
52.2%
07Agriculture
52.2%
08Security/Protective
31.3%
09Engineering Tech
20.9%
10Mechanic
10.4%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
1,360
12-mo unduplicated
2,938
Undergraduate
2,938
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
42%1,228
Women
58%1,710

Race / ethnicity composition

White
67.0%
Black
12.5%
Hispanic
7.5%
Non-resident
5.2%
Two or more
4.3%
Unknown
1.9%
Asian
1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
160
114 M · 46 W
Women athletes
28.8%
Athletic aid
$321K
Total student aid
Budget
$892K
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$221K
$100K
Recruiting expense
$12K
$4K
Head-coach salaries
$10K
$10K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 6

Baseball
65 M · —
$179K
Basketball
26 M · 16 W
$325K
Softball
— · 15 W
$80K
Volleyball
— · 14 W
$86K
Golf
12 M · —
$90K
Cross Country
3 M · 2 W
$26K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

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 · 1,369 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
    13.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    46

    Highland Community College vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Highland Community College selected for federal comparison reporting.

    IPEDS
    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    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
    SubjectHighland Community College
    		45%—1,360$5,713Community College
    Danville Area Community College
    		——2,297$4,777Community College
    Kaskaskia College
    		——3,669$6,477Community College
    Kishwaukee College
    		——2,969$4,574Community College
    Rend Lake College
    		——2,015$9,187Community College
    Sauk Valley Community College
    		——1,467$8,493Community College
    Peer group median45%—2,156$6,095

    Institutions like Highland Community College

    Explore the federal data for institutions in Highland Community College's comparison group.

    IPEDS

    Highland Community College Institutional Research office

    The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

    Office
    Office of Institutional Research
    Email
    misty.thruman [at] highland.edu
    Phone
    815-599-3423
    Address
    2998 W. Pearl City Rd. Freeport, IL 61032

    The Institutional Research office at Highland Community College provides institutional data and analytics support. Michelle Thruman, the Director of Institutional Research, can be contacted for inquiries. The office is located at Highland Campus, Freeport, IL.

    Visit IR office page
    Team
    2 members
    • Sarah Warfield
      Institutional Research Data Reporting Analyst
    • Michelle Thruman
      Director, Institutional Research

    Reports & documents (2)

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

    Grants & funding (2)

    Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.

    USA Spending

    Frequently asked questions about Highland Community College

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Highland Community College.

    What is the graduation rate at Highland Community College?

    Highland Community College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 45% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Highland Community College?

    Highland Community College reports a total enrollment of 1,360 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Highland Community College?

    The average net price at Highland Community College is $5,713 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Highland Community College located?

    Highland Community College is located in Freeport, Illinois 61032-9341.

    Who runs Institutional Research at Highland Community College?

    Highland Community College's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research.

    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.

    IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, 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 volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Federal Direct Loan recipient counts 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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