Prairie State College vs Essex County College

Prairie State College and Essex County College, both esteemed community colleges, offer distinct educational experiences. Prairie State, located in Chicago Heights, Illinois, boasts an acceptance rate of 100%, welcoming all aspiring students. Essex County College, situated in Newark, New Jersey, has a slightly more selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 98%. While Prairie State's student body is predominantly African American (54%) and Hispanic (29%), Essex County College's student population is more diverse, with a significant Hispanic (43%) and White (30%) population. Both institutions offer a wide range of programs, with popular majors including Liberal Arts and Humanities, Business, and Health Professions. Prairie State boasts a higher graduation rate (38%) compared to Essex County College (28%). To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table below, highlighting key differences between these two colleges. Explore the table to find the institution that best aligns with

	Essex County College	Prairie State College
Overview
Location	Newark, New Jersey	Chicago Heights, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	61.0%	53.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees	$30
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
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	$22,038	In state: $25,562 Out of state: $27,284
Average net price	$6,618	$7,059
Tuition	$7,742	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)	90.0% Average amount $6,493	60.0% Average amount $6,684
Students receiving federal student loan	0.0% Average amount $0	5.0% Average amount $5,749
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $8,500	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,029 Men 39.4% Women 60.6%	2,618 Men 34.9% Women 65.1%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	2.1%
International students	9.5%	1.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	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	N/A	Illinois Indiana Missouri

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Social Sciences Education	Liberal Arts Health Professions Computer and Information Science Automotive Technology Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	14.6%	16.9%
Dropout rate	58.4%	51.8%
Transferred out	10.7%	20.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $66,893 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $74,320 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $52,047 Year 2: $59,922 Year 3: $58,819 Accounting and Related Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $26,373 Year 2: $31,762 Year 3: $39,227 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $35,192 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $35,920 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $25,886 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $31,582 Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $27,226 Year 2: $24,659 Year 3: $30,234 Social Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $20,849 Year 2: $24,421 Year 3: $27,391 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $25,507 Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: $26,554 Social Work (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $25,518 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $26,307 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $21,245 Year 2: $16,610 Year 3: $22,187	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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Prairie State College vs Essex County College

Essex County College

Prairie State College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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