Public · Community college

Southwestern Illinois College

Belleville, Illinois · Large suburb

17%
Transfer rate
$10,427
Avg net price
36%
Grad / completion
$36,884
Median earnings

Southwestern Illinois College is a public certificate-granting institution in Belleville, Illinois (large suburb setting), enrolling 5,675 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 5,675 undergradsLarge suburbNJCAA Division ICold winters

About Belleville, Illinois

Belleville is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. George Blair named the city of Belleville in 1814, after the French phrase belle ville, meaning "beautiful city". The Belleville Philharmonic Society was formed in 1866, making it the second oldest philharmonic orchestra in the country. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Associate
To Great Lakes shore
254 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to Scott AFB/Midamerica (BLV)

How Southwestern Illinois College compares

Graduation rate36%

Higher than 21% · #104 of 122 in Illinois

First-year retention68%

Higher than 40%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$36,884

Higher than 56% · #49 of 113 in Illinois

Average net price$10,427

Cheaper than 69% · #48 cheapest of 123 in Illinois

Median debt at graduation$6,908

Lower than 84%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 44%

Undergraduate enrollment5,675

Larger than 92%

Percentiles compare Southwestern Illinois 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

5,675undergrads
  • Women3,17956%
  • Men2,49644%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White58%
  • Black24%
  • Hispanic6.9%
  • Asian0.9%
  • Other or multiracial10%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
5,675
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
25%
First-generation students
43%
Students over 25
30%
Median family income
$21,868
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$67,680
Endowment
$471,866

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 1,151 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Illinois96%
  • Other U.S. states3.2%
  • International1.0%

Most first-years stay in state — Southwestern Illinois 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.

Cost

In-state tuition
$3,960
Out-of-state tuition
$6,720
Room & board
Books & supplies
$2,400
Total cost of attendance
$16,249
Average net price
$10,427

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
36%
First-year retention
68%
Transferred to another college
17%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$30,872
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$36,884
Median debt at graduation
$6,908
Students with federal loans
10%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
29%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
36%
Low-income (Pell)
16%
First-generation
17%

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
202 (114 men · 88 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 (7)

Baseball52
Soccer49
Basketball30
Softball25
Tennis19
Golf14
Volleyball13

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
5
Property offenses (2022–2024)
16

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 7 campuses (8,492 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.

7.0reported offenses a year
1.7 violent a year5.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
3.3
Motor vehicle theft
1.3
Robbery
1.0
Arson
0.7
Rape
0.3
Aggravated assault
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
$9,136
$30–48k
$8,769
$48–75k
$11,473
$75–110k
$14,512
$110k+
$15,587

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.

21%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,040
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 21% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,040. 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 800 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)
$36,884
Typical debt at graduation
$6,908
Debt vs. one year's pay
19%
Out-earn a HS grad
37%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.9 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
$34,023
Men
$42,155

Men out-earn women by $8,132 (24%) 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
90°F
Winter low
24°F
Annual rain
43.4″
Annual snow
11.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Belleville Siu Rsch, IL US station (4.2 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 Southwestern Illinois College

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

Colleges near Southwestern Illinois 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.