Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Illinois Valley Community College

Illinois Valley Community College's nursing program sits in an uncomfortable middle ground: graduates enter the workforce earning less than most Illinois nursing programs, and those earnings decline rather than grow. At $62,734 in the first year, it falls below both the state median ($66,360) and trails significantly behind comparable community college programs like Moraine Valley ($73,137) and College of Lake County ($72,472). More troubling, earnings drop 5% by year four—the opposite of what you'd expect as nurses gain experience and seniority.

The low debt load of $12,175 is the program's saving grace, coming in well below both state and national averages. This creates a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.19, meaning graduates can theoretically pay off their loans with less than three months of salary. That's a genuine advantage for students who need an affordable entry point into nursing.

However, the earnings gap matters more than it might initially appear. Over a nursing career, that $10,000 difference between this program and top Illinois community colleges compounds to hundreds of thousands in lost income. If your child can access one of the higher-performing community college nursing programs in Illinois—particularly those in the Chicago suburbs—the modest debt difference would be offset within the first year of work. This program works as an affordable fallback, but it shouldn't be the first choice for students with geographic flexibility.