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Auto mechanic schools in Illinois
Illinois has 38 accredited campuses awarding auto tech credentials. If you finish and work as an automotive technician in Illinois, expect to start around $34,190–$38,310 and reach a median of $49,170 with experience; the top quarter earn $73,640 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, Illinois). Graduates of these Illinois programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $32,355 in their first year, against $33,710 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.
What automotive service technicians and mechanics earn in Illinois
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 29,510 employed in Illinois. National median: $50,620.
Campuses in Illinois, ranked by what their graduates earned
Cities: CartervilleCentraliaChampaignChicagoChicago HeightsCiceroCrystal LakeDanvilleDecaturDes PlainesEast PeoriaElginFairfieldFreeportGalesburgGlen EllynGodfreyGrayslakeHarrisburgInaJolietKankakeeLisleMaltaMattoonMelrose ParkMolineNormalOglesbyOlneyPalos HillsRiver GroveRockfordSpringfieldSugar GroveUllin
| Campus | City | Type | Grads / yr | Earnings, yr 1 | Program debt | Completion | Cost / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Valley College | Rockford | Public | 88 | $52,610 | not reported | 37% | not reported |
| Parkland College | Champaign | Public | 57 | $39,756 | $7,000 | 32% | not reported |
| Kishwaukee College | Malta | Public | 16 | $39,128 | not reported | 45% | not reported |
| Universal Technical Institute of Illinois Inc | Lisle | for-profit | 409 | $36,955 | $13,132 | 63% | $31,301 |
| Lincoln College of Technology-Melrose Park | Melrose Park | for-profit | 184 | $32,355 | $13,062 | 69% | $29,496 |
| Elgin Community College | Elgin | Public | 119 | $31,850 | not reported | 41% | not reported |
| Lincoln Land Community College | Springfield | Public | 173 | $24,373 | $9,500 | 48% | not reported |
| College of Lake County | Grayslake | Public | 373 | not reported | not reported | 37% | not reported |
| Waubonsee Community College | Sugar Grove | Public | 156 | not reported | not reported | 39% | not reported |
| Joliet Junior College | Joliet | Public | 152 | not reported | not reported | 21% | not reported |
| Moraine Valley Community College | Palos Hills | Public | 133 | not reported | not reported | 40% | not reported |
| Lake Land College | Mattoon | Public | 97 | not reported | not reported | 58% | not reported |
| Rend Lake College | Ina | Public | 90 | not reported | not reported | 63% | not reported |
| Oakton College | Des Plaines | Public | 82 | not reported | not reported | 37% | not reported |
| Illinois Valley Community College | Oglesby | Public | 56 | not reported | not reported | 42% | not reported |
| Richland Community College | Decatur | Public | 49 | not reported | not reported | 60% | not reported |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College | Chicago | Public | 45 | not reported | not reported | 32% | not reported |
| College of DuPage | Glen Ellyn | Public | 45 | not reported | not reported | 25% | not reported |
| Prairie State College | Chicago Heights | Public | 43 | not reported | not reported | 21% | not reported |
| Triton College | River Grove | Public | 42 | not reported | not reported | 29% | not reported |
| Kaskaskia College | Centralia | Public | 40 | not reported | not reported | 49% | not reported |
| Olney Central College | Olney | Public | 39 | not reported | not reported | 63% | not reported |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College | Chicago | Public | 32 | not reported | not reported | 31% | not reported |
| Lewis and Clark Community College | Godfrey | Public | 28 | not reported | not reported | 44% | not reported |
| John A Logan College | Carterville | Public | 25 | not reported | not reported | 46% | not reported |
| McHenry County College | Crystal Lake | Public | 25 | not reported | not reported | 37% | not reported |
| Heartland Community College | Normal | Public | 20 | not reported | not reported | 54% | not reported |
| Danville Area Community College | Danville | Public | 19 | not reported | not reported | 45% | not reported |
| Kankakee Community College | Kankakee | Public | 17 | not reported | not reported | 32% | not reported |
| Illinois Central College | East Peoria | Public | 16 | not reported | not reported | 49% | not reported |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Olive-Harvey College | Chicago | Public | 13 | not reported | not reported | 21% | not reported |
| Highland Community College | Freeport | Public | 11 | not reported | not reported | 45% | not reported |
| Black Hawk College | Moline | Public | 9 | not reported | not reported | 40% | not reported |
| Shawnee Community College | Ullin | Public | 8 | not reported | not reported | 60% | not reported |
| Carl Sandburg College | Galesburg | Public | 7 | not reported | not reported | 50% | not reported |
| Morton College | Cicero | Public | 6 | not reported | not reported | 31% | not reported |
| Southeastern Illinois College | Harrisburg | Public | 5 | not reported | not reported | 55% | not reported |
| Frontier Community College | Fairfield | Public | 3 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.
Ranked by median earnings of this program's graduates one year after completion (College Scorecard field-of-study, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026); campuses without a reported figure follow, by credentials awarded. "Program debt" is the median federal loan debt for graduates of this program at this campus. Completion is the campus-wide 150%-of-time rate. "Not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy.