Private nonprofit · College
Blackburn College
Carlinville, Illinois · Distant town
- 63.2%
- Admit rate
- $18,460
- Avg net price
- 57%
- Graduation rate
- $46,802
- Median earnings
Blackburn College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Carlinville, Illinois (distant town setting), enrolling 471 undergraduates. It has a Presbyterian Church (USA) religious affiliation.
About Carlinville, Illinois
Carlinville is a city in and the county seat of Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. Carlinville is named for Thomas Carlin, seventh governor of Illinois, who as a member of the state legislature was instrumental in creating Macoupin County. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant town
- Highest degree offered
- Bachelor's
- Nearest big city
- 36 miles to Springfield, IL
- To Great Lakes shore
- 208 miles
- Nearest airport
- 40 miles to Abraham Lincoln Capital (SPI)
How Blackburn College compares
More selective than 73% · #16 most selective of 58 in Illinois
Higher than 56% · #31 of 58 in Illinois
Higher than 24%
Higher than 29% · #58 of 66 in Illinois
Cheaper than 57% · #26 cheapest of 57 in Illinois
Lower than 44%
Lower than 68%
Larger than 21%
Percentiles compare Blackburn College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Illinois.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women26456%
- Men20744%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White75%
- Black14%
- Hispanic9.6%
- Other or multiracial1.7%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 471
- Student–faculty ratio
- 11 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 50%
- First-generation students
- 44%
- Students over 25
- 19%
- Median family income
- $29,508
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $76,626
- Endowment
- $34,703,862
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 86 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Illinois74%
- Other U.S. states25%
- International1.2%
Most first-years stay in state — Blackburn College draws overwhelmingly from Illinois.
1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 63.2%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $28,149
- Room & board
- $9,915
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $37,916
- Average net price
- $18,460
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 57%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 50%
- First-year retention
- 67%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,665
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $46,802
- Median debt at graduation
- $24,242
- Students with federal loans
- 61%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 53%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 449
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 95%
- Housing charge (year)
- $5,330
- Meal plan (year)
- $3,790
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III without football
- Varsity athletes
- 226 (146 men · 80 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (8)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.3 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (513 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$12,329/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
A meaningful share of freshmen — 93% — get grant money from Blackburn College itself, averaging $10,954, which softens the sticker price.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 106 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $46,802
- Typical debt at graduation
- $24,242
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 52%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 51%
Typical debt would take roughly 5.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $3,601 (8%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 86°F
- Winter low
- 19°F
- Annual rain
- 40″
- Annual snow
- 16.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Carlinville, IL US station (0 mi from campus).
What Blackburn College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Blackburn College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Blackburn College side by side →
Mount Mary University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin · Large city · 7 mi to Milwaukee
- Students
- 631
- Admission
- 62%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1020
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $49k
Lyon College
Batesville, Arkansas · Remote town · 80 mi to Little Rock
- Students
- 648
- Admission
- 63%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $44k
Bethany College
Bethany, West Virginia · Fringe rural · 34 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 614
- Admission
- 59%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $45k
Bluffton University
Bluffton, Ohio · Distant rural · 56 mi to Toledo
- Students
- 582
- Admission
- 67%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 976
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $50k
Young Harris College
Young Harris, Georgia · Remote rural · 71 mi to Knoxville
- Students
- 755
- Admission
- 63%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $47k
University of the Ozarks
Clarksville, Arkansas · Remote town · 56 mi to Fayetteville
- Students
- 767
- Admission
- 60%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1105
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $44k
Colleges near Blackburn College
Lewis and Clark Community College
Godfrey, IL · Public · Certificate · 2,487 students
CALC Institute of Technology
Alton, IL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 83 students
Capital Area Career Center
Springfield, IL · Public · Certificate · 161 students
Lincoln Land Community College
Springfield, IL · Public · Certificate · 3,976 students
University of Illinois Springfield
Springfield, IL · Public · Bachelor's · 2,263 students
University of Spa & Cosmetology Arts
Springfield, IL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 164 students
Principia College
Elsah, IL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 339 students
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Edwardsville, IL · Public · Bachelor's · 8,750 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.














