Rock Valley College vs Prairie State College

Rock Valley College and Prairie State College, both esteemed community colleges in Illinois, offer diverse educational opportunities to students seeking higher education. While they share similarities, each institution possesses unique characteristics that cater to different academic aspirations and preferences. Rock Valley College boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students, while Prairie State College maintains a slightly more selective admissions process. In terms of popular majors, Rock Valley College excels in programs like Business, Health Professions, and Liberal Arts, whereas Prairie State College specializes in fields such as Engineering, Computer Science, and Manufacturing. Additionally, the student body demographics vary, with Rock Valley College having a larger population of female students and Prairie State College having a higher percentage of international students. As for graduation rates, Rock Valley College holds a slight edge over Prairie State College. To help you make an informed decision about your educational journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more. Explore the table to discover which college aligns best with your academic goals

	Prairie State College	Rock Valley College
Overview
Location	Chicago Heights, Illinois	Rockford, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	53.0%	68.0%
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: $25,562 Out of state: $27,284	In state: $21,135 Out of state: $29,775
Average net price	$7,059	$9,676
Tuition	In state: $8,610 Out of state: $10,332	In state: $8,400 Out of state: $17,040
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	60.0% Average amount $6,684	50.0% Average amount $4,546
Students receiving federal student loan	5.0% Average amount $5,749	6.0% Average amount $4,170
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,618 Men 34.9% Women 65.1%	5,494 Men 42.8% Women 57.2%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	2.1%	0.9%
International students	1.4%	0.3%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
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 Missouri	Illinois Wisconsin Alabama Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Computer and Information Science Automotive Technology Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Liberal Arts Health Professions Automotive Technology Multidisciplinary Studies Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	16.9%	31.7%
Dropout rate	51.8%	42.3%
Transferred out	20.1%	15.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $58,438 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $64,955 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $51,129 Year 2: $42,188 Year 3: $43,814 Biological and Physical Sciences (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $25,263 Year 2: $27,681 Year 3: $36,867 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $24,140 Year 2: $21,000 Year 3: $31,858 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: N/A Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $52,610 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,231 Year 3: N/A Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,602 Year 2: $49,527 Year 3: N/A Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,846 Year 3: N/A Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $22,259 Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: N/A

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