William Rainey Harper College

1200 W Algonquin Rd
Palatine, IL 60067
Top Ranked (2024-25): View Rankings
  • Harper College (also William Rainey Harper College) is a two-year community college in Palatine, Illinois. The college was established by referendum in 1965, and in 1971 Harper's construction was finished, the first community college to be completed in Illinois. It is named for William Rainey Harper, a pioneer in the junior college movement in the United States and the first president of the University of Chicago.

School Highlights

William Rainey Harper College serves 12,015 students (33% of students are full-time).
The college's student:teacher ratio of 12:1 is same as the state community college average of 12:1.
Minority enrollment is 97% of the student body (majority Black), which is more than the state average of 96%.

Quick Stats (2024-25)

  • Enrollment: 12,015 students
  • In-state tuition: $9,264
  • Out-state tuition: $11,076
  • Student:teacher ratio: 12:1
  • Minority enrollment: 97%
  • Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

Top Rankings

William Rainey Harper College ranks among the top 20% of public schools in Illinois for:

Category
Attribute
Community Size

School Overview

The teacher population of 984 teachers has stayed relatively flat over five years.
William Rainey Harper College
(IL) Community College Avg.
Carnegie Classification
Associates Colleges
Associates Colleges
Institution Level
At least 2 but less than 4 years
At least 2 but less than 4 years
Institution Control
Public
Public
Total Faculty
984 staff
227 staff
This chart displays total faculty of William Rainey Harper College and community college average number of faculty in Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.

Student Body

The student population of William Rainey Harper College has declined by 10% over five years.
The student:teacher ratio of 12:1 has decreased from 14:1 over five years.
The William Rainey Harper College diversity score of 0.68 is less than the state average of 0.69. The school's diversity has stayed relatively flat over five years.
Total Enrollment
12,015 students
2,558 students
This chart displays the total enrollment of William Rainey Harper College and community college average number of enrollment of Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Student : Teacher Ratio
12:1
12:1
This chart displays the student staff ratio of William Rainey Harper College and community college average student staff ratio of Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
# Full-Time Students
4,010 students
872 students
This chart displays the total number of Full-time students enrollment of William Rainey Harper College and average number of community college Full-time students enrollment of Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
# Part-Time Students
8,005 students
1,686 students
This chart displays the total number of Part-time students enrollment of William Rainey Harper College and average number of community college Part-time students enrollment of Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
This chart displays the Full-time students and Part-time students enrollment breakdown of William Rainey Harper College.
This chart displays community college average Full-Time students and Part-Time students enrollment breakdown of Illinois.
# Enrollment Undergraduate
914 students
40 students
# Full-Time Undergraduate Students
4,010 students
872 students
This chart displays the total number of Full-time undergraduate students enrollment of William Rainey Harper College and average number of community college Full-time undergraduate  students enrollment of Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
# Full-Time Graduate Students
n/a
43 students
# Part-Time Undergraduate Students
8,005 students
1,719 students
# Part-Time Graduate Students
n/a
16 students
Total Dormitory Capacity
n/a
132 students
% American Indian/Alaskan
15%
5%
This chart displays the percentage of American Indian/Alaskan students in William Rainey Harper College and the percentage of American Indian/Alaskan community college students in Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Asian
4%
12%
This chart displays the percentage of Asian students in William Rainey Harper College and the percentage of Asian community college students in Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Hispanic
n/a
1%
This chart displays the percentage of Hispanic students in William Rainey Harper College and the percentage of Hispanic community college students in Illinois by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
% Black
26%
25%
This chart displays the percentage of Black students in William Rainey Harper College and the percentage of Black community college students in Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% White
3%
4%
This chart displays the percentage of White students in William Rainey Harper College and the percentage of White community college students in Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Hawaiian
48%
48%
This chart displays the percentage of Hawaiian students in William Rainey Harper College and the percentage of Hawaiian community college students in Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Two or more races
3%
4%
This chart displays the percentage of Two or more races students in William Rainey Harper College and the percentage of Two or more races community college students in Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Non Resident races
n/a
n/a
This chart displays the percentage of Non Resident students in William Rainey Harper College and the percentage of Non Resident community college students in Illinois by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
% Unknown races
1%
1%
This chart displays the percentage breakdown of students of all ethnic groups in William Rainey Harper College.
This chart displays the percentage breakdown of students of all ethnic groups in Illinois.
Diversity Score
0.68
0.69
This chart displays the diversity score of William Rainey Harper College and the community college average diversity score of Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
College Completion Rate (Students who graduate in less than 4 years)
0.3782%
0.3913%
This chart displays completion rates for First-Time of Full-time students of William Rainey Harper College and community college average completion rates for First-Time of Full-time students of Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
College Completion Rate (Students who graduate in 4 years or more than 4 years)
n/a
0.6%
Average Graduate Earnings (10 Years)
$39,400
$31,800
This chart displays average graduate earnings (10 Years) of William Rainey Harper College and community college average graduate earnings (10 Years) of Illinois by year, disaggregated by student subgroups with the latest 2012-13 school year data.

Tuition and Acceptance Rate

The public in-state tuition of $9,264 is more than the state average of $7,875. The in-state tuition has declined by 5% over four years.
The public out-state tuition of $11,076 is more than the state average of $10,847. The out-state tuition has declined by 5% over four years.
In-State Tuition Fees
$9,264
$7,875
This chart displays tuition fees for an in-state student of William Rainey Harper College and the public community college average tuition fees for an in-state student of Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Out-State Tuition Fees
$11,076
$10,847
This chart displays tuition fees for an out-of-state student of William Rainey Harper College and the public community college average tuition fees for an out-of-state student of Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Students Receiving Some Financial Aid
58%
82%
This chart displays the percent of students who is receiving some financial aid in William Rainey Harper College and the percent of community college students who is receiving some financial aid in Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Median Debt for Graduates
$9,750
$8,187
This chart displays median debt for students who have completed a certificate or degree in William Rainey Harper College and average median debt for community college students who have completed a certificate or degree in Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Median Debt for Dropouts
$5,500
$4,618
This chart displays median debt for students who have not completed a certificate or degree in William Rainey Harper College and average median debt for community college students who have not completed a certificate or degree in Illinois by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Acceptance Rate
n/a
89%
SAT Reading
n/a
390
SAT Math
n/a
360
SAT Writing
n/a
355
ACT Composite
n/a
17
ACT English
n/a
17
ACT Math
n/a
17
Source: 2023 (or latest year available) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) , School Administrators

School Notes

  • Harper College (also William Rainey Harper College) is a two-year community college in Palatine, Illinois. The college was established by referendum in 1965, and in 1971 Harper's construction was finished, the first community college to be completed in Illinois. It is named for William Rainey Harper, a pioneer in the junior college movement in the United States and the first president of the University of Chicago. We offer a full range of credit and non-credit courses, career training opportunities and continuing education options for professional development and personal enrichment as well as academic transfer programs. Our faculty is among the best. And because, like William Rainey Harper himself, we believe that higher education should be accessible to all, we offer a flexible schedule of daytime, nighttime and weekend classes at our main campus and at several other sites conveniently located throughout our service area. Avanté, Center for Science, Health Careers and Emerging Technologies is a state-of-the-art learning center for Harper College's nationally acclaimed programs in health, science and computer technology. The Center occupies 292,926 square feet of space, or six and one half acres. Avanté houses 10 major academic programs including nursing, dental hygiene, medical imaging, cardiac care, electronics, computer science, biology and chemistry. The name Avanté implies “advancement” or “moving forward,” while the Center itself creates an inspiring environment to advance teaching and learning in the sciences, technology and health care for current and future generations. It contains 400 rooms.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does William Rainey Harper College cost?
William Rainey Harper College's tuition is approximately $9,264 for In-State students and $11,076 for Out-State students.
What is William Rainey Harper College's ranking?
William Rainey Harper College ranks among the top 20% of community college in Illinois for: Diversity in US community colleges and Largest student body.

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Quick Stats (2024-25)

  • Enrollment: 12,015 students
  • In-state tuition: $9,264
  • Out-state tuition: $11,076
  • Student:teacher ratio: 12:1
  • Minority enrollment: 97%
  • Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

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