Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Danville Area Community College

The small sample size here demands caution, but Danville's pattern is puzzling enough to warrant scrutiny. That first-year median of $26,484 sits in the bottom 10% both nationally and across Illinois—roughly $17,000 below what typical Illinois LPN programs deliver. Yet by year four, earnings jump to $57,241, suggesting graduates eventually find their footing. The question is whether that delayed trajectory reflects the program preparing students for lower-paying initial placements, or if it's simply statistical noise from tracking fewer than 30 graduates.

The debt picture offers one bright spot: at $9,126, it's actually below Illinois' median for LPN programs and well under the national average. That 0.34 debt ratio means graduates owe roughly four months of their first-year salary—manageable if that first year represents an anomaly. But compare this to nearby alternatives like Illinois Central College, where graduates earn $55,604 right out of the gate with similar debt levels, or even Illinois Eastern at $56,008, and the tradeoff becomes harder to justify.

For parents, the core issue is uncertainty. If your child lands in that strong year-four cohort, this looks reasonable. But if that initial $26,484 represents the norm rather than an outlier—meaning your child spends multiple years earning far below market rate for LPNs—you're betting on a recovery that may not materialize. With 56 LPN programs across Illinois, explore options with more consistent early-career outcomes before committing here.