Illinois community college leaders highlight student success, economic impact

Community college leaders say Illinois continues to see a strong return on investment for students, businesses, and the economy. They also stress that graduates from Illinois community colleges get stable jobs and tend to stay in their communities. A new economic impact study shows the colleges helped generate $3.5 billion and over 43,000 jobs during Fiscal Year 2020. The Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies found graduates with an associate degree have an employment rate of 85%. That goes up to 92% ten years after graduation.