Illinois vs California: Higher Education Comparison
Side-by-side benchmarks from College Scorecard and merged EDsmart Data state profiles. Highlighted cells show the more favorable value (lower for costs/debt, higher for earnings/enrollment/completion).
Head-to-head metrics
| Metric | Illinois | California |
|---|---|---|
| Median in-state tuition | $4,788 | $1,350 |
| Median net price | $7,399 | $8,343 |
| Median student debt | $10,670 | $11,537 |
| Total enrollment | 467,073 | 2,134,322 |
| Completion rate | 56.0% | 59.0% |
| Median earnings (10 yr) | $57,988 | $65,668 |
| Employment proxy (8 yr) | 92.5% | 90.0% |
| First-year retention | 75.0% | 83.8% |