Oakton College
Des Plaines, Illinois
A 0–100 composite of ROI, graduate earnings, net price, debt and graduation rate. How it’s scored.
Estimated for a typical student paying the average net price over 2 years.
Graduate earnings clearly outpace the cost and debt — this degree pays back quickly.
The numbers behind the verdict
Lifetime ROI: the long view
Cumulative net gain over a high-school-only earner at different career lengths, with tuition and debt interest already subtracted. Built on IRS-verified federal earnings — not self-reported surveys.
Conservative: holds year-5 earnings flat (no raises). Adjust the assumptions, or see the highest 20-year ROI colleges.
Equity & access
Who the college serves and whether the payoff reaches everyone — earnings ten years after starting (IRS-linked), with access measures from federal enrollment data.
9% gap between the two groups
26% gap between the two groups
6% gap between the two groups
Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity. Federal data does not report earnings by race.
Net price by family income
What students actually pay after grants and scholarships, by household income as of 2024.
| Family income | Average net price / yr |
|---|---|
| Family income $0–$30k | $3,847 |
| $30k–$48k | $5,084 |
| $48k–$75k | $7,235 |
| $75k–$110k | $9,496 |
| $110k+ | $11,431 |
How Oakton College compares
This college against the Illinois and national averages — higher earnings and lower cost/debt are better.
Graduate earnings over time
Median earnings of Oakton College students 10 years after entering, by cohort year as of 2024.
Best-paying majors at Oakton College
Fields of study ranked by their own ROI — earnings five years after graduating against the cost and debt. Click a major for the deep dive.
| Major | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Certificate | $77,715 | — | +6,212% | Strong return |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Certificate | $46,346 | — | +160% | Strong return |
Calculate your own ROI
Adjust the assumptions for your situation — the verdict, break-even and chart update live.
ROI at Oakton College
Estimates from federal data; your result will vary. How this works.
Admissions & profile
Location
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.
Should this college make your shortlist?
Get our college-ROI brief — new federal data, best-value colleges and highest-ROI majors, straight to your inbox.