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CNA classes in Illinois

Illinois has 43 accredited campuses awarding cna credentials. If you finish and work as a nursing assistant in Illinois, expect to start around $37,590–$39,420 and reach a median of $45,960 with experience; the top quarter earn $48,380 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 $29,088 in their first year, against $22,196 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.

What nursing assistants earn in Illinois

$37,590starting (10th percentile)
$39,420early career (25th)
$45,960median, all experience
$48,380experienced (75th)
$54,050top earners (90th)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 68,640 employed in Illinois. National median: $42,260.

Campuses in Illinois, ranked by what their graduates earned

43campuses in Illinois
6,402credentials awarded / yr
$29,088median earnings, yr 1 (Illinois)
$22,196median earnings, yr 1 (U.S.)

Cities: BellevilleCantonCartervilleCentraliaChampaignChicagoChicago HeightsCiceroCrystal LakeDanvilleDecaturDes PlainesDixonEast PeoriaElginFairfieldFreeportGlen EllynGodfreyGrayslakeHarrisburgInaJolietMaltaMattoonMolineMount CarmelNormalOglesbyOlneyPalatinePalos HillsPeoriaQuincyRed BudRiver GroveRobinsonRockfordSouth HollandSpringfield

CampusCityTypeGrads / yrEarnings, yr 1Program debtCompletionCost / yr
Career Center of Southern Illinois Red Bud Public 7 $40,666 $15,170 57% $33,855
Black Hawk College Moline Public 210 $39,177 not reported 40% not reported
John A Logan College Carterville Public 81 $36,473 not reported 46% not reported
Lake Land College Mattoon Public 141 $36,088 $6,118 58% not reported
Kaskaskia College Centralia Public 152 $35,773 not reported 49% not reported
Sauk Valley Community College Dixon Public 122 $32,005 $8,320 49% not reported
Illinois Valley Community College Oglesby Public 165 $29,841 $5,500 42% not reported
Lincoln Land Community College Springfield Public 245 $29,498 $6,951 48% not reported
Illinois Central College East Peoria Public 53 $28,679 $7,500 49% not reported
John Wood Community College Quincy Public 26 $24,350 not reported 49% not reported
Rock Valley College Rockford Public 231 $22,259 not reported 37% not reported
Danville Area Community College Danville Public 9 $20,928 $6,600 45% not reported
Triton College River Grove Public 176 $20,417 not reported 29% not reported
Lewis and Clark Community College Godfrey Public 92 $20,040 not reported 44% not reported
McHenry County College Crystal Lake Public 213 $17,711 not reported 37% not reported
Southwestern Illinois College Belleville Public 232 $15,947 $3,500 37% not reported
William Rainey Harper College Palatine Public 566 not reported $6,258 48% not reported
Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills Public 539 not reported not reported 40% not reported
College of Lake County Grayslake Public 489 not reported not reported 37% not reported
City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College Chicago Public 342 not reported not reported 18% not reported
College of DuPage Glen Ellyn Public 305 not reported $8,312 25% not reported
Heartland Community College Normal Public 240 not reported not reported 54% not reported
Oakton College Des Plaines Public 221 not reported not reported 37% not reported
Joliet Junior College Joliet Public 191 not reported $8,403 21% not reported
Midwest Technical Institute-Illinois Springfield for-profit 148 not reported not reported 69% $33,634
Prairie State College Chicago Heights Public 132 not reported $8,750 21% not reported
Richland Community College Decatur Public 127 not reported not reported 60% not reported
Rend Lake College Ina Public 116 not reported not reported 63% not reported
Parkland College Champaign Public 109 not reported $4,370 32% not reported
Highland Community College Freeport Public 87 not reported not reported 45% not reported
Kishwaukee College Malta Public 84 not reported not reported 45% not reported
Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove Public 84 not reported not reported 39% not reported
Elgin Community College Elgin Public 66 not reported not reported 41% not reported
South Suburban College South Holland Public 65 not reported not reported 28% not reported
Morton College Cicero Public 54 not reported not reported 31% not reported
Frontier Community College Fairfield Public 49 not reported not reported not reported not reported
Spoon River College Canton Public 48 not reported not reported 42% not reported
Methodist College Peoria non-profit 41 not reported not reported not reported not reported
Shawnee Community College Ullin Public 41 not reported not reported 60% not reported
Lincoln Trail College Robinson Public 39 not reported not reported not reported not reported
Olney Central College Olney Public 30 not reported not reported 63% not reported
Wabash Valley College Mount Carmel Public 24 not reported not reported not reported not reported
Southeastern Illinois College Harrisburg Public 10 not reported not reported 55% 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.

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