Frontier Community College
Fairfield, IL 62837
About Frontier Community College
Frontier Community College is a public community college in Fairfield, Illinois, enrolling about 292 students. The college offers associate degrees, career certificates, and transfer pathways to four-year universities. Typical net price after grant aid is about $10,611 for students who receive it, compared with published tuition near $4,390. The 150%-time completion rate is about 53.33% for the reported cohort.
Key findings
- Frontier Community College charges 20% below the national public median tuition ($4,390).
- Versus the Illinois median, sticker tuition is about 0.3×.
- Completion within 150% of normal time is 53.33%.
- Median earnings 10 years after entry are $37,533.
Research findings
Finding
Modeled return on investment at Frontier Community College is strong.
Estimated ROI reaches about 784% using Scorecard cost and 10-year earnings fields in this extract.
Interpretation: On this institution-wide model, typical graduate earnings over a decade substantially exceed estimated net education cost.
Limitation: ROI is institution-wide and not program-specific; individual outcomes vary by major, aid package, and labor market.
Cost benchmarks
| Benchmark | Median Tuition | Median Net Price | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier Community College | $4,390 | $10,611 | 1 |
| Public (national median) | $5,512 | — | 1,688 |
| Illinois (state median) | $13,248 | $7,399 | 131 |
| Town (locale median) | $9,600 | $14,971 | 1,517 |
| United States (national median) | $11,900 | $17,156 | — |
Compares this campus to school-type, state, and locale medians plus a U.S. national median (College Scorecard–derived). Locale groups campuses by NCES locale type; state tuition is the median published tuition among campuses in that state.
How expensive is Frontier Community College really?
Key findings
- Frontier Community College charges 20% below the national public median tuition ($4,390).
- Versus the Illinois median, sticker tuition is about 0.3×.
Frontier Community College tuition
Published undergraduate tuition $4,390
Finding Frontier Community College charges 20% below the national public median tuition.
Evidence Published tuition is $4,390. That is 20% below the national public median ($5,512). Versus the Illinois median ($13,248), sticker tuition is about 0.3×. Versus the U.S. median ($11,900), sticker is about 0.4×.
Method Sticker tuition compared with Scorecard-derived medians by ownership, state, locale, and national rollups when available.
Interpretation Published tuition measures sticker price relative to public and geographic peers; it does not equal what undergraduates typically pay after aid.
Limitation Sticker comparisons omit room, board, and institutional aid; average net price and income-band net prices are the stronger signals of typical family cost.
Evidence: published tuition at Frontier Community College versus school-type, state, locale, and U.S. medians.
Evidence: average net price at Frontier Community College versus state, locale, and U.S. medians.
What undergraduates typically pay
Finding Average net price at Frontier Community College is $10,611.
Evidence College Scorecard average net price is $10,611 (cost of attendance minus average grant aid for aided undergraduates). That is about $3,212 above the Illinois median net price. Versus town campuses, net price runs $4,360 below the locale median.
Method Average net price from College Scorecard; compared with state, locale, and U.S. medians from EDsmart aggregates.
Interpretation Average net price is a stronger institutional cost signal than published tuition because it incorporates grant aid.
Limitation The campus average masks large differences by household income; income-band net prices can diverge sharply from the overall average.
Key takeaway At Frontier Community College, average net price exceeds published tuition alone because net price uses a fuller cost-of-attendance base.
Frontier Community College: research record
Canonical EDsmart Data findings for Frontier Community College—costs, outcomes, admissions, and programs—with evidence and methodology notes.
Research findings
Interpretation
The combination of completion and 10-year earnings is a multidimensional outcomes signal; it does not measure educational quality by itself.
Financial profile
In-state tuition
$4,390
Out-of-state tuition
$12,340
Avg. net price
$10,611
Sticker tuition × four years (estimate, no room/board): $17,560. See cost investigation.
Student outcomes
Graduation rate and 10-year earnings are in the hero strip above; see Graduates for more.
Is Frontier Community College a good school?
Data-framed fit—not a prestige rating.
Frontier Community College is a good school for those looking for strong completion alongside solid mid-career earnings.
EDsmart Data does not assign an opinion score; this framing summarizes the strongest Scorecard signals for this campus.
More from the data
Location, control, enrollment, and aid context for Frontier Community College.
Campus
Location
Fairfield, IL
City / state
- ZIP
- 62837
- NCES locale
- Town remote
Compared with Town campuses nationally, net price is 29% below the median for Town campuses ($14,971 median).
Control
Institution type
Public
Control
- Region
- Great Lakes
Size
Enrollment
292
Total enrollment
Student aid
Debt & aid
$6,500
Median federal loan debt
- Pell grant share
- 7.59%
Total Cost, Aid & Default
Total Cost of Attendance
Costs include tuition and fees. Room & board, books, and other expenses are additional where not shown.
Tuition vs average net price after aid for Frontier Community College.
Financial Aid by Income Level
Financial aid distribution by income level.
Student Loan Default Rate
The published 3-year cohort default rate for borrowers at Frontier Community College was not reported in the College Scorecard extract for this institution.
Cohort default rates account for borrowers who default in the first three years.
Tuition tracker
Published tuition and average net price by reporting year come from the College Scorecard institution file. Values are not adjusted for inflation; missing cells mean the field was not reported or was suppressed for Frontier Community College in that year.
Multi-year history is not in this profile yet. It is added when the institution cost history CSV has been collected and merged into school JSON.
Sticker tuition and net price over time
Where the institution reported separate in-state and out-of-state tuition, both appear. Gaps mean the value was not reported for that year.
College Scorecard reporting-year fields (not inflation-adjusted).
Net price by family income
Brackets follow Scorecard definitions for the series shown (public vs private institution).
Latest income-band net prices available in the processed extract.
How difficult is it to get in?
Acceptance Rate
Acceptance rate data is not available for this institution.
Admissions funnel data is not available for this institution.
Test Scores
Test score data is not available for this institution.
Score distribution is not available for this institution.
Academic Requirements
GPA requirements are not published by this institution. Contact the admissions office for specific academic requirements.
Estimated GPA range is not available for this institution.
Enrollment & Student Demographics
Frontier Community College reported total enrollment of about 292 students in the latest College Scorecard extract. The student body is about 40% male and 60% female. About 7.59% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants.
Full-Time vs Part-Time Enrollment
N/A% Full-Time Enrollment
The total enrollment at Frontier Community College in 2024 is 292 students.
Full-time vs part-time enrollment comparison.
Retention Rate over Time
N/A%
2024 Retention Rate
Retention rate measures the number of first-time students who began their studies the previous fall and returned to school the following fall.
Retention rate over time compared to similar institutions.
Do students complete their programs?
Time to Complete
49.17% 100% Completion Time
53.33% 150% Completion Time
In 2024, 49.17% of students graduating from Frontier Community College completed their program within 100% "normal time".
Completion rates over time compared to similar institutions.
Frontier Community College graduates earn a median of $37,533 ten years after entry
Finding Earnings, debt, and program mix define the financial profile of Frontier Community College.
Evidence Median earnings 10 years after entry: $37,533. Median federal loan debt: $6,500. Average net price used in cost models: $10,611.
Method College Scorecard median earnings (10-year), median debt, and EDsmart ROI / payback models using campus net price.
Interpretation Institution-wide ROI and debt ratios summarize campus averages; program choice still drives individual outcomes.
Limitation Salary reflects median earnings ten years after entry; ROI is not program-specific.
Key takeaway Frontier Community College graduates report median earnings of $37,533 ten years after entry—an institution-wide outcomes signal, not a program guarantee.
Return on Investment
Debt and 4-year net cost vs. cumulative 10-year median earnings for Frontier Community College.
Program completion data is not available for this institution.
Employment Outcomes
Median earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after entry for Frontier Community College graduates.
Frontier Community College at a glance
Frontier Community College
Frontier Community College is a public institution in Fairfield, IL.
Schools near Frontier Community College
Other campuses in Fairfield, IL when available, plus nearby institutions in Illinois.
Similar schools
Peers matched by the same EDsmart outcomes grade (Grade D) within Illinois, then by similar ownership and admissions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Frontier Community College located?
Frontier Community College is located in Fairfield, IL.
What is Frontier Community College's tuition?
Frontier Community College tuition (published undergraduate sticker price) is $4,390 in the latest College Scorecard data. Average net price after grant aid is $10,611 for undergraduates receiving Title IV aid.
How much does Frontier Community College cost?
Reported tuition is $4,390 and average net price is $10,611 in the latest College Scorecard data.
What explains Frontier Community College's return on investment in EDsmart Data?
EDsmart Data models ROI using campus average net price ($10,611), completion (53.3% within 150% of normal time where reported), and median earnings ten years after entry ($37,533). High completion and strong mid-career earnings relative to net cost raise modeled ROI; the estimate is institution-wide and not program-specific. Debt-to-earnings ratios, when available, further contextualize borrowing pressure. Limitations include suppressed fields, program mix, and labor-market variation over time.
What is the student body demographics at Frontier Community College?
Frontier Community College reports total enrollment of about 292 students in federal College Scorecard data.
What do graduates of Frontier Community College earn?
Median earnings are $34,213 six years after entry and $37,533 ten years after entry.
What is the graduation rate at Frontier Community College?
The 150%-time completion rate is 53.3% for the cohort reported to the College Scorecard.
How much debt do Frontier Community College students have?
Median federal loan debt among completers is $6,500.
Is Frontier Community College public or private?
Frontier Community College is a public institution located in Fairfield, IL.
Is Frontier Community College an HBCU?
No. Frontier Community College is not flagged as an HBCU in the IPEDS institutional directory.
Is Frontier Community College a tribal college?
No. Frontier Community College is not flagged as a tribal college in IPEDS.
Is Frontier Community College religiously affiliated?
No religious affiliation is reported for Frontier Community College in IPEDS institutional characteristics.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
- Related geography & profiles
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology & Data Scope
This profile uses institution-level fields from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, merged with IPEDS directory attributes where needed for locale, ownership, and program completions.
Benchmark rows compare this campus to NCES locale-type medians (for example Suburban) from our processed location extract. Implied U.S. medians are derived from locale-vs-national percentage fields in that extract—not a separate national Scorecard table.