Colleges

Private for-profit · Community college

Gem City College

Quincy, Illinois · Remote town

0%
Transfer rate
$11,843
Avg net price
87%
Grad / completion
$19,219
Median earnings

Gem City College is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Quincy, Illinois (remote town setting), enrolling 41 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitSmall · 41 undergradsRemote townCold winters

About Quincy, Illinois

Quincy is a city in Adams County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Quincy's location along the Mississippi River has attracted settlers for centuries. Quincy and the surrounding region lie in a blended zone of midwestern culture, where influences from the Heartland and Rust Belt converge. It is the site of America's first Arts Council, Quincy Society of Fine Arts, which was founded in 1947 by George M. Irwin. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Certificate
Nearest big city
84 miles to Columbia, MO
To Great Lakes shore
238 miles
Nearest airport
11 miles to Quincy Regional Airport Baldwin Field (UIN)

How Gem City College compares

Graduation rate87%

Higher than 86% · #14 of 122 in Illinois

First-year retention83%

Higher than 70%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$19,219

Higher than 4% · #111 of 113 in Illinois

Average net price$11,843

Cheaper than 63% · #56 cheapest of 123 in Illinois

Median debt at graduation$9,833

Lower than 48%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 82%

Undergraduate enrollment41

Larger than 10%

Percentiles compare Gem City College 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 gender

41undergrads
  • Women2868%
  • Men1332%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White93%
  • Black4.9%
  • Hispanic2.4%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
41
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
43%
First-generation students
—
Students over 25
29%
Median family income
$21,620

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition
—
Room & board
—
Total cost of attendance
—
Average net price
$11,843

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
87%
First-year retention
83%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$18,527
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$19,219
Median debt at graduation
$9,833
Students with federal loans
57%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
31%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
No
Application fee
$100

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%.

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.

< $30k
$9,735
$30–48k
$14,255
$48–75k
$16,347
$75–110k
—
$110k+
—

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.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Gem City College funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.

Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$19,219
Typical debt at graduation
$9,833
Debt vs. one year's pay
51%
Out-earn a HS grad
36%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

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.

Campus climate

Summer high
87°F
Winter low
19°F
Annual rain
36.5″
Annual snow
17.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Quincy Dam 21, IL US station (2 mi from campus).

What Gem City College graduates study — and earn

Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
19 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt
Precision Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
13 grads— 1 yr$25k 5 yr— debt

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 Gem City College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Gem City College side by side →

Oehrlein School of Cosmetology

For-profit

East Peoria, Illinois · Large suburb · 3 mi to Peoria

Students
65
Tuition
—
Transfer
0%
Earnings
$19k

Educators of Beauty College of Cosmetology-Sterling

For-profit

Sterling, Illinois · Distant town · 45 mi to Rockford

Students
59
Tuition
—
Transfer
0%
Earnings
$21k

Educators of Beauty College of Cosmetology-Peru

For-profit

PERU, Illinois · Distant town · 52 mi to Peoria

Students
52
Tuition
—
Transfer
0%
Earnings
$22k

Educators of Beauty College of Cosmetology-Rockford

For-profit

Rockford, Illinois · Midsize city · 6 mi to Rockford

Students
97
Tuition
—
Transfer
0%
Earnings
$21k

Cosmetology Concepts Niles

For-profit

Niles, Illinois · Large suburb · 14 mi to Chicago

Students
31
Tuition
—
Transfer
0%
Earnings
$20k

Rosel School of Cosmetology

For-profit

Niles, Illinois · Large suburb · 16 mi to Chicago

Students
55
Tuition
—
Transfer
0%
Earnings
$20k

Colleges near Gem City College

Quincy University

Quincy, IL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,010 students

1 mi

Blessing Rieman College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Quincy, IL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 176 students

3 mi

John Wood Community College

Quincy, IL · Public · Associate · 1,371 students

4 mi

Hannibal-LaGrange University

Hannibal, MO · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 410 students

14 mi

Culver-Stockton College

Canton, MO · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 807 students

15 mi

Pike-Lincoln Technical Center

Eolia, MO · Public · Certificate · 32 students

51 mi

Western Illinois University

Macomb, IL · Public · Bachelor's · 4,410 students

53 mi

Southeastern Community College

West Burlington, IA · Public · Certificate · 1,699 students

63 mi

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.