Prairie State College
About
Prairie State College is a two-year community college located in Chicago Heights, Illinois. Founded in 1957, it offers over 100 programs including associate degrees and certificates, focusing on both academic transfer and career training for its service area in Community College District 515.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 11.0-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.
Of 84 Title IV programs, 6 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 77 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing6 · 7.1%
- No Data77 · 91.7%
- Failing1 · 1.2%
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 · 3
Action history · 11
- Nov 2025Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: ProbationAmerican Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PTA) - Programs for the physical therapist assistant
- Apr 2025Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: ProbationAmerican Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PTA) - Programs for the physical therapist assistant
- Jan 2025Grant Substantive Change: ProgramAmerican Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Hygiene (DH)
- Mar 2022Renewal of AccreditationAccreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
- Aug 2021Grant Substantive Change: ProgramAmerican Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Hygiene (DH)
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, 1,707 students received $7.1M in Pell grants, alongside $1.7M 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 619 borrowers who entered repayment, 39 (6.3%) 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 Prairie State 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 · 6
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.
Prairie State College vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Prairie State 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectPrairie State College | 21% | — | 2,953 | $4,738 | Community College |
| — | — | 4,455 | $10,485 | Community College | |
| — | — | 4,375 | $15,987 | Community College | |
| — | — | 11,527 | $7,052 | Community College | |
| — | — | 5,225 | $12,647 | Community College | |
| — | — | 5,157 | $1,664 | Community College | |
| — | — | 3,841 | $4,608 | Community College | |
| — | — | 3,522 | $2,004 | Community College | |
| — | — | 5,039 | $5,643 | Community College | |
| — | — | 3,942 | $6,114 | Community College | |
| — | — | 3,306 | $5,338 | Community College | |
| Peer group median | 21% | — | 4,375 | $5,643 |
Institutions like Prairie State College
Explore the federal data for institutions in Prairie State College's comparison group.
- Community CollegeGeorgia
Augusta Technical College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment4,455Net price$10,485View data - Community CollegeMaryland
Baltimore City Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment4,375Net price$15,987View data - Community CollegeGeorgia
Central Georgia Technical College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment11,527Net price$7,052View data - Community CollegeCalifornia
Compton College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment5,225Net price$12,647View data - Community CollegeNorth Carolina
Durham Technical Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment5,157Net price$1,664View data - Community CollegeMississippi
East Mississippi Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment3,841Net price$4,608View data - Community CollegeSouth Carolina
Florence-Darlington Technical College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment3,522Net price$2,004View data - Community CollegeMississippi
Holmes Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment5,039Net price$5,643View data - Community CollegeGeorgia
Savannah Technical College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment3,942Net price$6,114View data - Community CollegeVirginia
Southside Virginia Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment3,306Net price$5,338View data
Prairie State College Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
Institutional effectiveness is the ability of an institution to match its performance to the purposes established in its mission, vision, and goal statements. Prairie State College measures effectiveness using student success indicators based on IPEDS criteria.
Visit IR office pageReports & documents (3)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- Data dictionaryKey Performance Indicators | Prairie State College2023The Prairie State College Key Performance Indicators measure institutional effectiveness through student success indicators such as awards conferred, enrollment, retention rate, transfer-out rate, graduation rate, and WEI employment outcomes. These indicators are derived from IPEDS criteria, and comparison group colleges are selected based on similar size and racial/ethnic composition. Data updates occur annually in early spring, based on the previous year's IPEDS Data Feedback Report.prairiestate.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planCharting the Future: Prairie State College’s Strategic Vision2026Prairie State College’s Strategic Plan serves as a roadmap to enhance student success, strengthen community partnerships, and ensure sustainable institutional excellence. The college commits to providing access to affordable, high-quality educational opportunities enabling students to achieve their career and life-long goals. It acts as a community catalyst for growth, inspiring learners and leaders to make a positive impact on the world.prairiestate.edu
Notable alumni of Prairie State College (2)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Debbie Halvorson
- Jermaine Love
Frequently asked questions about Prairie State College
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Prairie State College.
What is the graduation rate at Prairie State College?
How many students attend Prairie State College?
What is the average net price at Prairie State College?
Where is Prairie State College located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Prairie State 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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