Best Nursing Schools in Illinois (2026)

Quick answer: Certified nursing assistants in Illinois earn a median of $45,960 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited certified nursing assistant schools in Illinois with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

This guide rounds up certified nursing assistant schools serving Illinois and the local job-market figures worth checking first. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $45,960 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Illinois Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$45,960BLS OEWS, May 2025
Illinois pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$37,590 to $54,050BLS OEWS, May 2025
Top-paying Illinois metro for this fieldChicago, IL, $46,940BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)+2.3% growth, about 204,100 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
State employment68,640 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
Illinois location quotient1.21BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the Certified nursing assistant Career

What You’ll Find Below

The school listings below are sorted by proximity to Programs. Each entry includes the school name, address, and the credentials offered. Use the Illinois figures above as a reference point when comparing program length, schedule, and tuition.

We could not confirm enough colleges teaching this subject within range of this location, so the list below shows nearby institutions instead. Confirm with each school that it offers the program before you apply.

How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention. Advertising plays no part.

This page lists 12 schools, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 12 of them carry a score.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%

Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.

#1

Carl Sandburg College

Galesburg, IL In-state option BOC Score 64.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 45.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 33
  • Annual completions: 220
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $45,741 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Illinois Valley Community College

Oglesby, IL In-state option BOC Score 58.3
Tuition $4,200 - $16,385
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 43.3%
  • Programs offered: 51
  • Annual completions: 1552
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $48,989 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Highland Community College

Freeport, IL In-state option BOC Score 54.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 50
  • Annual completions: 908
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $48,834 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

Black Hawk College

Moline, IL In-state option BOC Score 52.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 41.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 38
  • Annual completions: 590
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $49,173 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

John A Logan College

Carterville, IL In-state option BOC Score 51.1
Tuition $4,630 - $13,596
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 43.3%
  • Programs offered: 61
  • Annual completions: 779
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $47,825 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Elgin Community College

Elgin, IL In-state option BOC Score 50.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 41.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 63
  • Annual completions: 2748
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $54,220 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Illinois Central College

East Peoria, IL In-state option BOC Score 50.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 67
  • Annual completions: 2210
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $55,058 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#9

Southwestern Illinois College

Belleville, IL In-state option BOC Score 49.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 36.7% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 83
  • Annual completions: 3390
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $51,516 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#10

College of DuPage

Glen Ellyn, IL In-state option BOC Score 47.7
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 24.7% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 98
  • Annual completions: 3152
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $55,984 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#11

City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College

Chicago, IL In-state option BOC Score 43.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 15.9% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 33
  • Annual completions: 1448
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $51,665 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#12

Danville Area Community College

Danville, IL In-state option BOC Score 41.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 41.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 67
  • Annual completions: 523
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $47,299 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

Nursing Assistant Pay and Job Outlook

Annual Wage by Percentile, United States - Nursing Assistants
Nursing Assistants annual wage percentiles, BLS OEWS May 2025P10 $33940, P25 $37260, P50 $42260, P75 $47220, P90 $51980.10th$33,94025th$37,26050th (median)$42,26075th$47,22090th$51,980
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Nursing Assistants annual wage percentiles
PercentileAnnual wage
10th$33,940
25th$37,260
50th (median)$42,260
75th$47,220
90th$51,980
Projected employment growth, United States, Nursing Assistants, 2024-2034
Nursing Assistants employment 2024 vs 2034 projection, BLS Employment Projections2024 employment 1.4415e+06; 2034 projected employment 1.474e+06; percent change +2.3%.20241,441,500 jobs2034 (proj.)1,474,000 jobsChange: +2.3%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
Nursing Assistants employment projection 2024 to 2034
YearEmployment
20241,441,500
2034 projected1,474,000
Percent change+2.3%

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does certified nursing assistant training take in Illinois?

Certified nursing assistant certificate programs in Illinois typically take 6 to 12 months of full-time study, while associate degree programs generally run about 2 years. Actual completion time depends on schedule (full-time vs. part-time) and any prerequisite coursework.

How much do certified nursing assistants earn in Illinois?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), certified nursing assistants in Illinois earned a median annual wage of approximately $45,960. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $37,590 to $54,050 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many certified nursing assistant schools are in Illinois?

The schools listed above are within about 800 miles of Programs. Compare them by tuition, program length, and the credential each one awards.


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)