Joliet Junior College is the first public junior college in the United States, established in 1901 in Joliet, Illinois. The Illinois General Assembly established the Illinois Community College Board in 1965 with a mandate to ensure that every Illinois resident would live within a short commute to a public community college. Today, Illinois' community college system is the third largest of its kind in the world; more students enroll in it than any other higher education sector in Illinois
Community colleges are similar to each other and yet each college is unique. While this may appear to be a contradiction, it is not. Illinois community colleges share a common mission. They prepare people for college, for transfer to other colleges or universities, and for good paying jobs that demand high skills. Community colleges also provide adult, literacy, and continuing education and services. What makes each college unique is how the college responds to the communities it serves.
There are 76 community colleges located throughout the state of Illinois (52 public colleges and 24 private colleges), educating 377,813 college students.
Community colleges in Illinois: one of the largest and well-liked college is College of DuPage with 9,465 full time college students and an in-state tuition list price of $9,930. Southwestern Illinois College is one of the most costly community school in Illinois with an in-state tuition of $10,320.
On average, how much does it costs to attend community college in Illinois? For Illinois community colleges, the state's average tuition is about $8,129 per year for in-state college students and $10,062 for out-of-state students. For private community colleges in the state, the typical yearly tuition is roughly $14,816 per year