Sauk Valley Community College vs Prairie State College

Sauk Valley Community College and Prairie State College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer diverse educational opportunities to students in Illinois. While they share a commitment to academic excellence, they also possess distinct characteristics that cater to different student needs. Sauk Valley boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students, while Prairie State maintains a slightly more selective admissions process. In terms of student body demographics, Sauk Valley has a larger population of female students, whereas Prairie State has a more balanced gender ratio. Regarding academic offerings, Sauk Valley excels in programs like Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies, and Business, while Prairie State shines in fields such as Engineering, Health Professions, and Computer Science. To help you make an informed decision about your educational journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more. Explore the table to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Prairie State College	Sauk Valley Community College
Overview
Location	Chicago Heights, Illinois	Dixon, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Rural: Fringe
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	53.0%	71.0%
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: $26,060 Out of state: $27,320
Average net price	$7,059	$9,077
Tuition	In state: $8,610 Out of state: $10,332	In state: $10,800 Out of state: $12,060
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	88.0% Average amount $4,747
Students receiving federal student loan	5.0% Average amount $5,749	7.0% Average amount $4,215
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $3,000

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,618 Men 34.9% Women 65.1%	1,378 Men 39.1% Women 60.9%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	2.1%	2.1%
International students	1.4%	0.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Rural: Fringe
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 Iowa Wisconsin Puerto Rico Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Computer and Information Science Automotive Technology Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Liberal Arts Health Professions Business Automotive Technology Precision Production
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	16.9%	43.1%
Dropout rate	51.8%	29.0%
Transferred out	20.1%	19.3%
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: $49,906 Year 2: $53,179 Year 3: $54,389 Precision Metal Working (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $30,774 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $36,002 Biological and Physical Sciences (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $21,125 Year 2: $26,121 Year 3: $32,163 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $26,801 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $45,833 Year 2: $40,467 Year 3: N/A Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $32,005 Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: N/A

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