Public · Community college

Lake Land College

Mattoon, Illinois · Fringe rural

#4 best value in Illinois
12%
Transfer rate
$2,254
Avg net price
58%
Grad / completion
$38,877
Median earnings

Lake Land College is a public certificate-granting institution in Mattoon, Illinois (fringe rural setting), enrolling 2,448 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 2,448 undergradsFringe ruralNJCAA Division ICold winters

About Mattoon, Illinois

Mattoon is a city in Coles County, Illinois, United States. One of the main factors determining the settlement of Mattoon and Coles County in general was the topography. Coles County straddled a timberline in the southern half and prairie in the north. The prairie, known as the "Grand Prairie", was generally wet and swampy. Mattoon is home to several companies. Rural King, which is a large retailer for agricultural supplies, has its headquarters located on the west side of town off of Dewitt Avenue. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe rural
Highest degree offered
Associate
To Great Lakes shore
162 miles
Nearest airport
39 miles to Decatur (DEC)

How Lake Land College compares

Graduation rate58%

Higher than 46% · #64 of 122 in Illinois

First-year retention72%

Higher than 48%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,877

Higher than 65% · #32 of 113 in Illinois

Average net price$2,254

Cheaper than 98% · #4 cheapest of 123 in Illinois

Median debt at graduation$6,188

Lower than 94%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 67%

Undergraduate enrollment2,448

Larger than 84%

Percentiles compare Lake Land 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

2,448undergrads
  • Women1,46160%
  • Men98740%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White87%
  • Black3.4%
  • Hispanic3.8%
  • Asian0.5%
  • Other or multiracial5.3%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,448
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
26%
First-generation students
44%
Students over 25
20%
Median family income
$23,420
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$55,125
Endowment
$9

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 798 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Illinois97%
  • Other U.S. states1.3%
  • International1.6%

Most first-years stay in state — Lake Land College draws overwhelmingly from Illinois.

2% 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.

Cost

In-state tuition
$4,415
Out-of-state tuition
$14,301
Room & board
Books & supplies
$530
Total cost of attendance
$10,276
Average net price
$2,254

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
58%
First-year retention
72%
Transferred to another college
12%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$33,693
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$38,877
Median debt at graduation
$6,188
Students with federal loans
5%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
43%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
58%
Low-income (Pell)
32%
First-generation
33%

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
No
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
108 (60 men · 48 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 (4)

Baseball44
Basketball30
Softball21
Volleyball13

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
2

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,960 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.

0.7reported offenses a year
0 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

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.

< $30k
$979
$30–48k
$232
$48–75k
$4,181
$75–110k
$5,828
$110k+
$8,381

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?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

34%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,178
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 34% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,178. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

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 771 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)
$38,877
Typical debt at graduation
$6,188
Debt vs. one year's pay
16%
Out-earn a HS grad
43%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.6 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.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$33,845
Men
$46,100

Men out-earn women by $12,255 (36%) 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
20°F
Annual rain
41.3″
Annual snow
14.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Mattoon, IL US station (4.1 mi from campus).

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 Lake Land College

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

Colleges near Lake Land College

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.