Carl Sandburg College vs Prairie State College

Carl Sandburg College and Prairie State College, both esteemed community colleges in Illinois, offer diverse educational opportunities to students seeking higher education. While they share a commitment to academic excellence and student success, they also possess distinct characteristics that cater to different preferences and aspirations. This side-by-side comparison delves into the unique features of each institution, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. By exploring these key differences, prospective students can make informed decisions about their academic journey and choose the college that best aligns with their individual goals and aspirations.

	Carl Sandburg College	Prairie State College
Overview
Location	Galesburg, Illinois	Chicago Heights, Illinois
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	Suburb: Large
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	60.0%	53.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $17,868 Out of state: $18,768	In state: $25,562 Out of state: $27,284
Average net price	$3,676	$7,059
Tuition	In state: $7,810 Out of state: $8,710	In state: $8,610 Out of state: $10,332
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $6,870	60.0% Average amount $6,684
Students receiving federal student loan	9.0% Average amount $3,019	5.0% Average amount $5,749
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $11,750	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,687 Men 36.2% Women 63.8%	2,618 Men 34.9% Women 65.1%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.5%	2.1%
International students	N/A	1.4%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Indiana Florida Missouri	Illinois Indiana Missouri

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Multidisciplinary Studies Computer and Information Science Precision Production	Liberal Arts Health Professions Computer and Information Science Automotive Technology Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	43.6%	16.9%
Dropout rate	34.2%	51.8%
Transferred out	13.9%	20.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $56,882 Year 2: $50,731 Year 3: $54,516 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $42,721 Year 2: $43,319 Year 3: $52,041 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: $42,050 Biological and Physical Sciences (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: $31,004 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $23,585 Year 2: $19,227 Year 3: $22,364 Funeral Service and Mortuary Science (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $33,612 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $58,132 Year 2: $56,867 Year 3: $60,449 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $48,414 Year 2: $53,697 Year 3: $57,487 Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: $24,160 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $29,171 Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $24,036 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $37,124 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $17,950 Year 3: N/A

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