Rock Valley College
Rock Valley College offers career programs and certificates with a strong emphasis on career and technical education, including nursing, dental hygiene, and automotive service technology. The nursing program emphasizes hands-on skills, critical thinking, and communication, utilizing simulation labs and clinical rotations for practical experience. The automotive program provides training in electrical/electronics, engine repair, and electric vehicle repair. Many programs, such as the Collision Repair program, incorporate paid internships with local businesses to provide hands-on experience and employer connections.
Programs Analyzed
Avg Grad Earnings
Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score
Tuition (In-State)
All Programs at Rock Valley College
6 trade programs at Rock Valley College, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Nursing
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Compare nationwide → Compare in IL → |
86 | $68,229/yr | $8,968 |
|
Vehicle Repair Technology
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies Compare nationwide → Compare in IL → |
75 | $41,625/yr | — |
|
Dental Assisting
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions Compare nationwide → Compare in IL → |
69 | $59,574/yr | — |
|
Practical Nursing
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants Compare nationwide → Compare in IL → |
69 | $27,497/yr | — |
|
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Compare nationwide → Compare in IL → |
46 | $27,601/yr | $6,900 |
|
Biological & Physical Sciences
Biological and Physical Sciences Compare nationwide → Compare in IL → |
43 | $21,956/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.
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.
Trade Schools Near Rockford
Other cities in Illinois with multiple trade schools, sorted by distance from Rockford.
About This Data
TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 6 trade and vocational programs at Rock Valley College 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.