Hidden Costs of Community Colleges Web Tool
Nearly $4 billion was spent by federal, state, and local governments over five years on full-time community college students who dropped out after their first year without completing their certificate or degree programs, according to the new report, “The Hidden Costs of Community Colleges”, from AIR and College Measures.
Using U.S. Department of Education data, we have analyzed full-time students who didn’t return for a second year, while adjusting figures to account for students who transferred to four-year institutions. The cost of dropouts would be higher if part-time students and other government funding, such as direct federal support and capital expenditures, were included in the analysis.
With states and localities spending far more than the federal government on community colleges, and nearly every state facing serious budget shortfalls, the cost of community college dropouts to state taxpayers is especially troubling.
Below, you can use our interactive web tool to see how much has been spent in taxpayer dollars to educate these non-returning community college students, both at the state and institution level. In addition to the community colleges reviewed in the report, private for-profit and private not-for-profit institutions are shown below. To access the full report, please click here.
Illinois
Estimated First-Year Attrition  |
|
16% |
Rank: 21 |
| Statewide Cost of Attrition |
|
$32,709,632 |
Rank: 7 |
| Two-Year Institution | Estimated First-Year Attrition |
State Appropriations Lost |
Student Grants Lost |
Cost of First Year Attrition |
| Black Hawk College | 16% |
$551,847 |
$185,228 |
$737,075 |
| Carl Sandburg College | 19% |
$161,898 |
$92,051 |
$253,949 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College | 19% |
$475,231 |
$536,159 |
$1,011,390 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College | 20% |
$362,023 |
$279,266 |
$641,289 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College | 24% |
$959,046 |
$674,470 |
$1,633,516 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College | 24% |
$393,800 |
$312,215 |
$706,015 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Olive-Harvey College | 23% |
$410,799 |
$230,523 |
$641,322 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College | 18% |
$206,862 |
$162,708 |
$369,570 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College | 16% |
$485,393 |
$277,783 |
$763,177 |
| College of DuPage | 14% |
$2,074,019 |
$310,876 |
$2,384,895 |
| College of Lake County | 14% |
$1,408,023 |
$116,465 |
$1,524,488 |
| Danville Area Community College | 19% |
$270,110 |
$88,378 |
$358,488 |
| Elgin Community College | 13% |
$743,993 |
$82,595 |
$826,589 |
| Fox College Inc | 12% |
$0 |
$61,816 |
$61,816 |
| Harper College | 13% |
$1,636,122 |
$178,583 |
$1,814,705 |
| Heartland Community College | 15% |
$697,628 |
$105,159 |
$802,786 |
| Highland Community College | 16% |
$386,923 |
$85,974 |
$472,897 |
| Illinois Central College | 13% |
$793,776 |
$194,468 |
$988,245 |
| Illinois Eastern Community Colleges-Frontier Community Coll | 29% |
$49,119 |
$20,844 |
$69,963 |
| Illinois Eastern Community Colleges-Lincoln Trail College | 23% |
$116,862 |
$24,492 |
$141,354 |
| Illinois Eastern Community Colleges-Olney Central College | 17% |
$113,998 |
$39,392 |
$153,390 |
| Illinois Eastern Community Colleges-Wabash Valley College | 18% |
$51,416 |
$35,418 |
$86,834 |
| Illinois Valley Community College | 12% |
$194,538 |
$41,985 |
$236,523 |
| ITT Technical Institute-Burr Ridge | 30% |
$0 |
$4,251 |
$4,251 |
| ITT Technnical Institute-Orland Park | 18% |
$0 |
$3,192 |
$3,192 |
| John A Logan College | 16% |
$204,524 |
$163,304 |
$367,828 |
| John Wood Community College | 17% |
$237,051 |
$159,781 |
$396,832 |
| Joliet Junior College | 15% |
$902,000 |
$220,075 |
$1,122,076 |
| Kankakee Community College | 15% |
$246,938 |
$66,163 |
$313,101 |
| Kaskaskia College | 19% |
$187,503 |
$372,461 |
$559,964 |
| Kishwaukee College | 16% |
$363,545 |
$75,686 |
$439,231 |
| Lake Land College | 18% |
$212,921 |
$180,762 |
$393,683 |
| Lewis and Clark Community College | 17% |
$226,791 |
$84,998 |
$311,789 |
| Lexington College | 12% |
$0 |
$6,217 |
$6,217 |
| Lincoln Land Community College | 23% |
$842,769 |
$222,582 |
$1,065,351 |
| MacCormac College | 0% |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
| McHenry County College | 13% |
$422,500 |
$44,776 |
$467,276 |
| Moraine Valley Community College | 13% |
$589,821 |
$182,608 |
$772,429 |
| Morrison Institute of Technology | 10% |
$0 |
$28,521 |
$28,521 |
| Morton College | 12% |
$192,726 |
$57,269 |
$249,994 |
| Northwestern College-Southwestern Campus | 26% |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
| Nothwestern College | 32% |
$0 |
$252,025 |
$252,025 |
| Oakton Community College | 11% |
$481,305 |
$95,605 |
$576,910 |
| Parkland College | 13% |
$549,730 |
$142,638 |
$692,369 |
| Prairie State College | 18% |
$430,055 |
$196,548 |
$626,603 |
| Rend Lake College | 22% |
$976,369 |
$447,026 |
$1,423,395 |
| Richland Community College | 15% |
$231,818 |
$34,001 |
$265,818 |
| Rock Valley College | 14% |
$751,535 |
$177,301 |
$928,836 |
| Rockford Career College | 0% |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
| Sauk Valley Community College | 18% |
$230,483 |
$62,430 |
$292,913 |
| Shawnee Community College | 18% |
$68,692 |
$27,069 |
$95,761 |
| South Suburban College | 17% |
$151,665 |
$44,079 |
$195,744 |
| Southeastern Illinois College | 28% |
$172,074 |
$31,736 |
$203,809 |
| Southwestern Illinois College | 17% |
$734,615 |
$180,496 |
$915,111 |
| Spoon River College | 18% |
$351,768 |
$115,507 |
$467,275 |
| Springfield College in Illinois | 7% |
$0 |
$16,995 |
$16,995 |
| Taylor Business Institute | 17% |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
| The College of Office Technology | 17% |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
| The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago | 13% |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
| Triton College | 17% |
$784,102 |
$268,615 |
$1,052,717 |
| Waubonsee Community College | 14% |
$1,248,587 |
$83,327 |
$1,331,915 |
| Westwood College-Dupage | 26% |
$0 |
$54,527 |
$54,527 |
| Westwood College-O'Hare Airport | 25% |
$0 |
$66,122 |
$66,122 |
| Westwood College-River Oaks | 35% |
$0 |
$68,778 |
$68,778 |
| Worsham College of Mortuary Science | 0% |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |