Public · Community college
Richland Community College
Decatur, Illinois · Small city
- 13%
- Transfer rate
- $3,741
- Avg net price
- 60%
- Grad / completion
- $38,793
- Median earnings
Richland Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Decatur, Illinois (small city setting), enrolling 1,346 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Decatur, Illinois
Decatur is the largest city in Macon County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The Potawatomi Trail of Death passed through the city in 1838. The Decatur Municipal Band was organized September 19, 1857, making it one of the oldest nonmilitary bands in continuous service in the United States and Canada. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 41 miles to Springfield, IL
- To Great Lakes shore
- 144 miles
- Nearest airport
- 4 miles to Decatur (DEC)
How Richland Community College compares
Higher than 49% · #57 of 122 in Illinois
Higher than 22%
Higher than 64% · #34 of 113 in Illinois
Cheaper than 95% · #10 cheapest of 123 in Illinois
Lower than 71%
Lower than 56%
Larger than 76%
Percentiles compare Richland Community 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
- Women83462%
- Men51238%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White58%
- Black29%
- Hispanic5.5%
- Asian1.6%
- 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
- 1,346
- Student–faculty ratio
- 15 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 33%
- First-generation students
- 49%
- Students over 25
- 33%
- Median family income
- $20,145
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $70,929
- Endowment
- $26,713,062
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 138 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Illinois100%
Most first-years stay in state — Richland Community College draws overwhelmingly from Illinois.
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
- $4,680
- Out-of-state tuition
- $17,070
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,500
- Total cost of attendance
- $11,483
- Average net price
- $3,741
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
- 60%
- First-year retention
- 60%
- Transferred to another college
- 13%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $32,459
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $38,793
- Median debt at graduation
- $8,256
- Students with federal loans
- 7%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 32%
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
- No
- Application fee
- Free
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 (2,388 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.
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.
Modest institutional aid: 51% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,473. 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 152 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)
- $38,793
- Typical debt at graduation
- $8,256
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 21%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 43%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.1 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 $10,382 (30%) 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
- 36.4″
- Annual snow
- 13.6″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Decatur AP, IL US station (3.7 mi from campus).
What Richland Community 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 Richland Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Richland Community College side by side →
Kishwaukee College
Malta, Illinois · Fringe rural · 25 mi to Rockford
- Students
- 1,936
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 16%
- Earnings
- $40k
Kankakee Community College
Kankakee, Illinois · Small city · 55 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 1,985
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 21%
- Earnings
- $39k
Carl Sandburg College
Galesburg, Illinois · Distant town · 47 mi to Peoria
- Students
- 1,051
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $35k
Spoon River College
Canton, Illinois · Fringe rural · 28 mi to Peoria
- Students
- 774
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 22%
- Earnings
- $38k
Lewis and Clark Community College
Godfrey, Illinois · Small suburb · 22 mi to St. Louis
- Students
- 2,487
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $38k
Danville Area Community College
Danville, Illinois · Distant town · 80 mi to Indianapolis
- Students
- 1,508
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $35k
Colleges near Richland Community College
Reflections Academy of Beauty
Decatur, IL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 40 students
Millikin University
Decatur, IL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,382 students
Parkland College
Champaign, IL · Public · Associate · 3,348 students
Midwest Technical Institute-Illinois
Springfield, IL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 1,326 students
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL · Public · Bachelor's · 36,258 students
Lincoln Land Community College
Springfield, IL · Public · Certificate · 3,976 students
University of Illinois Springfield
Springfield, IL · Public · Bachelor's · 2,263 students
Tricoci University of Beauty Culture
Urbana, IL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 173 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.