Carl Sandburg College
Galesburg, Illinois · Website
$35,274
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$35,274
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Carl Sandburg College is a public 2-year college in Galesburg, Illinois with 1,051 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $3,662 a year (tuition and fees $5,390 in-state, $8,900 out-of-state). 50% of students finish within 3 years. Former students earn a median $35,274 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $4,909 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$3,662
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$5,390
Out-of-state $8,900
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
50%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
$4,909
About $52 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$35,274
Rank 3,419 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $3,662
- Tuition in-state
- $5,390
- Tuition out-of-state
- $8,900
- Cost of attendance
- $11,563
- Students with a need-based grant
- 42%
- Students with federal loans
- 14%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $1,014
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $3,025
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $5,074
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $5,162
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $6,012
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $4,250 in 2015-16 to $5,390 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 1,051
- Part-time students
- 40%
- Women
- 68%
- Students per teacher
- 15
- Completion rate
- 50%
- Retention rate
- 63%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 35
- Endowment
- $17.5M
- Other
- Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 3,419 of 5,094 US colleges and 131 of 189 in Illinois (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IL median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $3,662 | $15,156 | $7,702 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $5,390 | $13,291 | $4,656 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 77% | 79% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 50% | 59% | 38% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 63% | 72% | 64% | 75% |
| Median debt | $4,909 | $10,297 | $10,417 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $31,149 | $34,234 | $33,563 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $35,274 | $39,544 | $38,555 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 2-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 54% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 52% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
35 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 172 | $3,500 | $27,529 | $39,759 | $44,125 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCertificate | Certificate | 100 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Biological and Physical SciencesAssociate's | Associate's | 36 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,181 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsAssociate's | Associate's | 27 | $6,587 | $51,566 | $59,295 | $61,982 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 27 | $4,954 | $66,508 | $77,213 | $80,813 |
| Precision Metal WorkingCertificate | Certificate | 23 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,702 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralCertificate | Certificate | 21 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,984 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssociate's | Associate's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | $52,648 | $65,389 |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCertificate | Certificate | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $56,073 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,586 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementCertificate | Certificate | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $52,615 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementAssociate's | Associate's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,726 |
| Funeral Service and Mortuary ScienceAssociate's | Associate's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | $52,074 | $52,962 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's | Associate's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,733 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,660 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $37,073 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $34,272 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,589 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business OperationsCertificate | Certificate | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsCertificate | Certificate | 1 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,702 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's | Associate's | 1 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 1 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $35,447 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 1 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,584 |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 1 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $32,681 |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 1 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $37,587 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Galesburg and Illinois on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Illinois
- Homes: Homes for sale in Illinois
Questions and answers
How much does Carl Sandburg College cost?
$3,662 a year is the average net price at Carl Sandburg College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $5,390 for in-state students and $8,900 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $11,563. Families earning under $30,000 pay $1,014 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Carl Sandburg College?
Carl Sandburg College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Carl Sandburg College graduates earn?
$35,274 a year is the median pay of former Carl Sandburg College students who work, 10 years after they started ($31,149 after 6 years). That ranks 3,419 of 5,094 US colleges and 131 of 189 in Illinois. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's) at $66,508.
How much student debt do Carl Sandburg College graduates have?
$4,909 is the median federal student loan debt of Carl Sandburg College graduates, about $52 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 14% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Carl Sandburg College?
50% of first-time, full-time students at Carl Sandburg College finish within 3 years. 63% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 2-year colleges is 38%.
What are the most popular majors at Carl Sandburg College?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (172 associate's graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (100 certificate graduates), Biological and Physical Sciences (36 associate's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 35 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.