Biological and Physical Sciences at College of DuPage

College of DuPage's science transfer program produces graduates earning $22,654 in their first year—roughly $4,000 below the state median and landing in just the 20th percentile nationally. That's a significant gap, especially when nearby community colleges like College of Lake County ($37,724) and Joliet Junior College ($30,509) prepare students in the same field with substantially better early outcomes. While the debt load stays manageable at $10,664, the question isn't whether students can afford the degree, but whether they're getting comparable preparation to their peers across Illinois.

The silver lining here is state context: at the 40th percentile for Illinois, this program isn't an outlier disaster—it's performing in the middle of the pack statewide, which suggests the lower earnings might reflect transfer students still completing bachelor's degrees rather than program weakness. Many associate's degree holders in sciences use these credentials as stepping stones, not endpoints, which would naturally depress first-year earnings data.

For families viewing this as a transfer pathway to a four-year institution, the affordable debt makes College of DuPage workable. But if your student plans to enter the workforce immediately after two years, the earnings gap compared to other Illinois community colleges deserves serious consideration. Ask hard questions about job placement rates and whether graduates are actually transferring versus working.