Certificate (under 1 year)-13% vs national median1,203 grads tracked
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Illinois Central College
Ranked 110th of 147 certificate (under 1 year) programs in Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$24,848
middle 50%: $19,190 – $30,437
Median · 5 years out
$33,463
middle 50%: $25,223 – $48,670
Median · 10 years out
$42,555
middle 50%: $30,232 – $62,479
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (certificate (under 1 year)) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Practical Nursing certificate holders start with a median salary of $25k. This figure grows to $43k after ten years.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.
Will the degree pay for itself?
Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.
Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).
Paid off in
12.8 yrs
≈ $16,131 total interest
Same major at other universities
Lorain County Community College
$34,136 · 5 yrs out
Indian Hills Community College
$34,119 · 5 yrs out
Hawkeye Community College
$33,643 · 5 yrs out
North Iowa Area Community College
$33,569 · 5 yrs out
Uintah Basin Technical College
$33,536 · 5 yrs out
Illinois Valley Community College
$33,510 · 5 yrs out
Illinois Eastern Community Colleges - Lincoln Trail College
$33,330 · 5 yrs out
Mountainland Technical College
$33,291 · 5 yrs out
Davis Technical College
$33,284 · 5 yrs out
City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College
$33,242 · 5 yrs out
Lake Land College
$33,173 · 5 yrs out
Des Moines Area Community College
$33,078 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Illinois Central College
Engineering (Associate)
$84,400 · 5 yrs out
Engineering, General (Associate)
$84,400 · 5 yrs out
Fire Protection (Associate)
$79,950 · 5 yrs out
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$77,273 · 5 yrs out
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$76,487 · 5 yrs out
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$71,397 · 5 yrs out
Agricultural Mechanization (Associate)
$70,211 · 5 yrs out
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$69,154 · 5 yrs out
Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$68,443 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate)
$67,694 · 5 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Certificate)
$66,779 · 5 yrs out
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services (Associate)
$65,498 · 5 yrs out
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