Prairie State College is a two-year community college offering associate degrees, technical and career studies certificates, plus adult, corporate and continuing education. We're the first Illinois community college to guarantee all of our degree and technical certificate programs. We're honored to be recognized for the quality of our programs and services through six awards for excellence from the Illinois Community College Board - more than any other college in the state.
School Highlights
Prairie State College serves 2,716 students (32% of students are full-time).
The college's student:teacher ratio of 7:1 is lower than the state community college average of 21:1.
Minority enrollment is 74% of the student body (majority Black), which is more than the state average of 53%.
Source: 2024 (or latest year available) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) , School Administrators
School Notes
Prairie State College's 123-acre campus is located at South
Halsted Street and Vollmer Road in Chicago Heights, Ill. Our north
campus facilities, to the north of Vollmer Road, include the
Health/Tech Center, Child Care Center, Physical Plant and
Facilities warehouse and headquarters, the Illinois Employment and
Training Center, plus four wooden temporary structures where our
Adult Education programs are held. Here you'll find English as a
Second Language, Literacy, Adult Basic Education and GED classes,
and adult education computer labs. The main building, to the south
of Vollmer Road, houses faculty and administrative offices,
classrooms, laboratories, and student services facilities. A four
story-building, the main campus building includes a Technology
Center, where programs such as Automotive, Welding, Manufacturing
Technology and Air Conditioning and Heating programs take place.
Prairie State College, Illinois Community College District 515,
serves thousands of residents each year in the Chicago Southland
region. We additionally serve a growing number of people outside
our geographic district through our corporate training and
international student programs. Founded in 1957 as Bloom Township
Community College, our first classes were held in 1958 in the
basement of the First Christian Church. The College has come a long
way since then. Bloom Community College was originally established
to offer transfer liberal arts courses and occupational courses.
Most students graduating in the early 1960s earned degrees in the
liberal arts. Today, the College serves a more broad population,
offering five types of associate's degrees (associate in arts,
associate in science, associate in fine arts, associate in applied
science, associate in general studies), two types of certificates
(technical and career studies) and training in many other areas.
Part of PSC's growth began back in 1967 when the College was
reorganized as a Class I junior college. Then, with the combining
of four high school districts into an enlarged territory, the
College was renamed Prairie State College. The Beecher district was
added to District 515 in 1989 by the Illinois Community College
Board. The college is accredited by the North Central Association
of Colleges and Schools.
From business and healthcare to technology and skilled trades, the article showcases the breadth of options available to students seeking to enhance their knowledge, develop new skills, or pursue career advancement.
This comprehensive guide explains what a community college is, its history, and its role in higher education. It covers the types of programs offered, differences from four-year colleges, benefits of attending, and important considerations for prospective students, providing valuable insights for those exploring educational options.
