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Highland Community College: Rankings, Admissions, Cost & Majors

37 awards Ranking Badges
Fair Price Value for Your Money
16% Student Loan Default Rate

Highland Community College is a public institution in Freeport, Illinois enrolling 931 undergraduates. It has an on-time graduation rate of 45%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,803 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 35%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.

Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.

How Is Highland Community College Ranked?

Highland Community College ranks #1,803 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 35%.

#1,803 Best Colleges in Nation
#98 Best Colleges in IL
Highland Community College ranking badge

2027 Rankings

College Factual recognizes the best colleges and universities in its annual rankings. These rankings include categories for best overall colleges, best colleges for each major, best value schools, and much more.

Highland Community College was awarded 37 badges in the 2027 rankings.

Overall Quality

According to College Factual’s 2027 analysis, Highland Community College is ranked #1,803 out of 5,159 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality.

Within the state, Highland Community College holds the #98 spot on the Best Colleges in Illinois ranking.

See all of the rankings for Highland Community College.

Is It Hard to Get Into Highland Community College?

Acceptance Rate

Learn more about Highland Community College admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at Highland Community College?

13 to 1 Student to Faculty
51% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

With a student to faculty ratio of 13 to 1, Highland Community College is about average in this regard as the nationwide rate is 15 to 1. While this does not translate directly to class size, it’s a good indicator of how much time professors will have to spend with their students on a one-on-one basis.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.

The full-time faculty percentage at Highland Community College is 51%. This is comparable to the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  51 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at Highland Community College?

70% Freshmen Retention
45% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate tells us what percentage of first-year, full-time students choose to continue on to their sophomore year at a particular school. The rate at Highland Community College is 70%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.

Freshmen Retention Rate  70 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At Highland Community College the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 45%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  45 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Highland Community College.

How Diverse Is Highland Community College?

931 Undergraduate Students
21.7% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
58.2% Percent Women

The current enrollment includes 931 undergraduates at Highland Community College.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at Highland Community College.

How Much Does Highland Community College Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
5% Take Out Loans
$18,332 Total Student Loans

The overall average net price of Highland Community College is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.

Net Price by Income Group for Highland Community College

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$3,598 $5,256 $6,045 $10,242 $13,161

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Highland Community College, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At Highland Community College, approximately 5% of students took out student loans averaging $4,583 a year. That adds up to $18,332 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 16.0%. This is significantly higher than the national default rate of 10.1%, which means you could have trouble paying back your student loans if you take any out. Get more details about paying for Highland Community College.

How Much Do Highland Community College Graduates Earn?

$37,928 Avg Salary of Grads
Low Earnings Boost

Yearly salaries vary depending on what you major in, but on average, bachelor’s degree recipients from Highland Community College make around $37,928 per year during the early years of their employment. Unfortunately, this is 23% less than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. However, graduates in your major field may make more. Average Salary for Highland Community College Graduates

See which majors at Highland Community College make the most money.

Where Is Highland Community College Located?

Illinois State
931 Undergraduate Students
Rural Campus Setting

Highland Community College is an public institution situated in Freeport, Illinois. The rural area surrounding Highland Community College is great for students who love a peaceful atmosphere. Get more details about the location of Highland Community College.

Location of Highland Community College

Contact information for Highland Community College are given below.

Contact Details
Address: 2998 W Pearl City Rd, Freeport, IL 61032-9341
Phone: 8152356121
Website: www.highland.edu

What Majors Does Highland Community College Offer?

17 Majors With Completions
1,280 Undergraduate Degrees

In the latest year of available data, students from 17 majors graduated from Highland Community College. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 640 NA
Liberal Arts General Studies 214 $14,405
Nursing & Nursing Assistants 107 NA
Child Development & Family Studies 56 NA
Biological & Physical Science 53 $30,533
Ground Transportation 51 NA
Precision Metal Working 30 NA
Accounting 24 NA
Nursing 22 $57,569
Industrial Production Technology 14 NA

Learn more about the majors offered at Highland Community College along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does Highland Community College Offer Online Classes?

70% Take At Least One Class Online
19% Take All Classes Online

656 students took at least one online class at Highland Community College.

Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.

Learn more about online learning at Highland Community College.

Want to see how other colleges compare to Highland Community College? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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