Public · Community college
Capital Area Career Center
Springfield, Illinois · Fringe rural
- 0%
- Transfer rate
- $16,797
- Avg net price
- 100%
- Grad / completion
- $55,357
- Median earnings
Capital Area Career Center is a public certificate-granting institution in Springfield, Illinois (fringe rural setting), enrolling 161 undergraduates.
About Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County. The land that Springfield now occupies was visited first by trappers and fur traders who came to the Sangamon River in 1818. Springfield has been home to a wide array of individuals who, in one way or another, contributed to the broader American culture. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Fringe rural
- Highest degree offered
- Certificate
- Nearest big city
- 5 miles to Springfield, IL
- To Great Lakes shore
- 177 miles
- Nearest airport
- 9 miles to Abraham Lincoln Capital (SPI)
How Capital Area Career Center compares
More selective than 30% · #6 most selective of 9 in Illinois
Higher than 98% · #1 of 122 in Illinois
Higher than 81%
Higher than 94% · #5 of 113 in Illinois
Cheaper than 44% · #78 cheapest of 123 in Illinois
Lower than 57%
Lower than 39%
Larger than 39%
Percentiles compare Capital Area Career Center with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Illinois.
Student body
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White48%
- Black45%
- Asian0.6%
- Other or multiracial6.2%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 161
- Student–faculty ratio
- 18 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 61%
- First-generation students
- 54%
- Students over 25
- 69%
- Median family income
- $19,614
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $12,075
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $116
- Total cost of attendance
- $20,495
- Average net price
- $16,797
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 94.4%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 100%
- First-year retention
- 90%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $50,684
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $55,357
- Median debt at graduation
- $9,500
- Students with federal loans
- 61%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 46%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- $75
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%.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (353 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.
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.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $55,357
- Typical debt at graduation
- $9,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 17%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 74%
Typical debt would take roughly 1.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
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 $14,192 (27%) 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
- 40.5″
- Annual snow
- 21.8″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Springfield #2, IL US station (6 mi from campus).
What Capital Area Career Center 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 Capital Area Career Center
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Capital Area Career Center side by side →
Adult and Community Education-Hudson
Columbus, Ohio · Large city · 4 mi to Columbus
- Students
- 67
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $52k
Franklin County Career and Technology Center
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania · Fringe rural · 49 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 60
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $55k
Orange Ulster BOCES
Newburgh, New York · Small city · 54 mi to New York
- Students
- 74
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $58k
Eastern Center for Arts and Technology
Willow Grove, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 15 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 180
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $56k
Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County
Scranton, Pennsylvania · Small city · 3 mi to Scranton
- Students
- 113
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $46k
Worsham College of Mortuary Science
Wheeling, Illinois · Large suburb · 24 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 183
- Tuition
- $21k
- Transfer
- 26%
- Earnings
- $62k
Colleges near Capital Area Career Center
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
St. John's College
Springfield, IL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 126 students
Midwest Technical Institute-Illinois
Springfield, IL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 1,326 students
Blackburn College
Carlinville, IL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 471 students
Illinois College
Jacksonville, IL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 930 students
Millikin University
Decatur, IL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,382 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.