Ground Transportation at Frontier Community College

Illinois has 22 ground transportation programs, and based on the five with reported outcomes, estimates suggest Frontier's program leads to first-year earnings around $36,200—significantly below the $41,400 national median for these credentials. The stronger programs in the state, like Elgin Community College at nearly $52,000, show there's real variation in where these certificates can lead. Transportation certifications should be practical credentials that quickly translate to decent-paying work, but the Illinois data suggests outcomes are far from guaranteed.

The estimated $5,500 in debt is manageable, translating to a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.15—one of the better financial profiles you'll see for any credential. Even at the lower end of the earnings spectrum, that's a loan burden most graduates could handle. The unusually low Pell grant percentage (just 8%) raises questions about who actually enrolls in this program and whether those students have family support or other resources that help explain the modest borrowing.

The core question is whether this certificate connects to actual jobs in southern Illinois. Ground transportation encompasses everything from CDL training to logistics, and the career path matters enormously. If this is commercial driving, local employers and demand should drive your decision more than any statewide estimate. Given the uncertainty in these figures and the wide range of outcomes across Illinois programs, talk directly with Frontier about job placement rates and where recent graduates actually landed—because those specifics matter more than borrowed benchmarks.