William Rainey Harper College

Palatine, IL · Public · 8,815 students · Visit Website

William Rainey Harper College offers Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) and certificate programs with a strong focus on career training in healthcare, business, manufacturing/construction, and public service. The college provides over 10 registered apprenticeship programs, allowing students to gain practical skills and earn a salary through on-the-job training with employer partners. Harper College's Job Placement Resource Center assists students and alumni with resumes, interview preparation, and connecting with job, internship, and apprenticeship opportunities.

Programs Analyzed

12

Avg Grad Earnings

$43,868/yr

Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score

71/100

Tuition (In-State)

$3,822/yr
Out-of-state: $11,802/yr

All Programs at William Rainey Harper College

12 trade programs at William Rainey Harper 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 10yr ROI AI Risk Job Market
Business Administration
Business Administration, Management and Operations
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87 $59,982/yr 77.5x High Very Large
1,753 openings/yr
Nursing
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
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86 $70,929/yr $11,786 102.4x High Very Large
292 openings/yr
Allied Health Professions
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions
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77 $64,113/yr 166.7x Moderate Very Large
124 openings/yr
Practical Nursing
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants
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77 $36,528/yr $6,258 140.6x Low Very Large
258 openings/yr
Medical Assisting
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
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75 $36,111/yr 171.4x Moderate Very Large
252 openings/yr
Health Administration
Health and Medical Administrative Services
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75 $33,090/yr 85.6x High Very Large
729 openings/yr
Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice and Corrections
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72 $38,474/yr 49.3x Moderate Very Large
480 openings/yr
Accounting
Accounting and Related Services
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70 $31,747/yr 82.1x Very High Very Large
451 openings/yr
Dental Assisting
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions
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69 $56,767/yr 77.1x Moderate Large
99 openings/yr
Legal Support Services
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65 $43,980/yr 114.1x Very High Large
77 openings/yr
Biological & Physical Sciences
Biological and Physical Sciences
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50 $27,081/yr $6,375 64.0x Moderate Large
88 openings/yr
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
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48 $27,619/yr $8,920 60.0x 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.

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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 Palatine

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

About This Data

TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 12 trade and vocational programs at William Rainey Harper 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.

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