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 2,953 students (31% of students are full-time).
The college's student-teacher ratio of 24:1 is lower than the state community college average of 33:1.
Minority enrollment is 87% of the student body (majority Black), which is more than the state average of 54%.
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The student population of Prairie State College has grown by 8% over five years.
The student-teacher ratio of 24:1 has increased from 10:1 over five years.
The Prairie State College diversity score of 0.68 is less than the state average of 0.69. The school's diversity has stayed relatively flat over five years.
Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a college search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.
Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a college search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.
Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a college search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.
Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a college search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.
Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a college search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.
Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a college search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.
Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a college search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.
Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a college search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.
Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a college search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.
Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a college search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.
Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a college search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.
Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a college search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.
College Completion Rate (Students who graduate in less than 4 years)
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Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a college search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.
Tuition & Financial Aid
The public in-state tuition of $7,644 is less than the state average of $8,019. The in-state tuition has declined by 18% over four years.
The public out-state tuition of $9,084 is less than the state average of $10,874. The out-state tuition has declined by 17% over four years.
Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a college search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.
Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a college search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.
Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a college search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.
Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a college search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.
Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a college search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.
Acceptance Rate
61%
75%
Sports
Total Sports Offered
6 sports
Sports
BaseballBasketball
SoccerSoftball
TennisVolleyball
School Mascot
Pioneers
Source: 2025 (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.
Learn how a full required course can delay graduation, how to navigate waitlists, and how to find approved alternatives that protect your community college degree timeline and financial aid eligibility.
Understand how catalog years determine community college graduation requirements, how enrollment breaks and major changes affect eligibility, and what to verify before choosing courses or switching to a newer catalog.
Learn what happens when your community college discontinues your program before graduation, including teach-out options, credit transfers, financial aid implications, student protections, and practical steps to finish your degree successfully.
