College of Lake County

Grayslake, IL · Public · 9,282 students · Visit Website

The College of Lake County (CLC) offers career-focused associate degrees and over 100 short-term certificates, including programs in Registered Nursing, Dental Support Services, and various skilled trades like Welding, HVAC/R, and Industrial Maintenance. Many programs emphasize hands-on training, with welding and fabrication students utilizing the largest lab in Illinois at the Advanced Technology Center. CLC also provides "learn and earn" apprenticeships that combine classroom instruction with on-the-job training, often with employer-paid tuition, and offers career services to connect students with job opportunities and employer partners.

Programs Analyzed

6

Avg Grad Earnings

$50,314/yr

Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score

66/100

Tuition (In-State)

$4,494/yr
Out-of-state: $14,036/yr

All Programs at College of Lake County

6 trade programs at College of Lake County, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score (combines earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size). Use the “compare” links to see how this school’s programs stack up against others nationally.

Program Score Earnings Debt 10yr ROI AI Risk Job Market
Nursing
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Compare nationwide →
Compare in IL →
85 $72,472/yr $11,400 85.4x High Very Large
292 openings/yr
Dental Assisting
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions
Compare nationwide →
Compare in IL →
69 $63,080/yr 70.2x Moderate Large
99 openings/yr
Allied Health Professions
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions
Compare nationwide →
Compare in IL →
65 $50,103/yr 54.7x Moderate Very Large
124 openings/yr
Legal Support Services
Compare nationwide →
Compare in IL →
64 $45,094/yr 99.3x Very High Large
77 openings/yr
Biological & Physical Sciences
Biological and Physical Sciences
Compare nationwide →
Compare in IL →
58 $37,724/yr 58.7x Moderate Large
88 openings/yr
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Compare nationwide →
Compare in IL →
52 $33,413/yr $6,461 52.7x Low Medium
13 openings/yr

Reading the table: Score combines earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size on a 0–100 scale. Earnings = median first-year salary from College Scorecard. Debt = median federal debt at graduation (blank where Scorecard suppresses small samples). 10yr ROI = projected 10-year earnings ÷ in-state tuition. AI Risk reflects task-level AI exposure across mapped occupations. Job Market = annual openings nationwide for connected occupations.

More Trade Schools in Illinois

Top-scored trade schools elsewhere in Illinois, ranked by average TradeSchoolOutlook Score across their programs.

View all trade schools in Illinois →

Apprenticeship Pathways in Illinois

Earn-while-you-learn alternatives in Illinois. Registered apprenticeships skip tuition and pay you during training, though training periods are typically longer.

Browse all apprenticeship trades →

Trade Schools Near Grayslake

Other cities in Illinois with multiple trade schools, sorted by distance from Grayslake.

About This Data

TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 6 trade and vocational programs at College of Lake County using earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034).

The TradeSchoolOutlook Score (0–100) combines graduate earnings, return on investment, AI resilience, and job market size. AI Risk reflects task-level exposure for the occupations each program feeds into. Job Market shows the size of the national hiring pool. Programs without published debt figures had small reporting samples that the College Scorecard suppresses for privacy.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections). Last updated 2026.