Lincoln College
of Technology-Melrose Park
For-profit Community College in Melrose Park, IL. Six-year graduation rate 68%. Median 10-year earnings $38,683.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $38,683, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. The six-year graduation rate of 69% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Median debt at graduation is $11,250, a light load against those earnings.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.29 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
A 69% six-year graduation rate is the strongest academic signal on this page. First-year retention is 62% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. A 32:1 ratio means students need to be deliberate about getting faculty time. As a for-profit two-year institution, outcomes here deserve a harder look than the sector average suggests: for-profit institutions vary enormously, and the sector's aggregate numbers hide both strong and very weak performers. With 2,134 undergraduates, the school sits in the middle of the size distribution.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,134 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price lands at $25,588 a year on average, neither cheap nor punishing. Net price varies modestly by income — $24,854 at $0–30k against $28,983 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. Most students get help: 87% receive grants worth $4,255 on average. Borrowing is widespread: 85% take federal loans.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,211 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $24,854 |
| $30–48k | $25,175 |
| $48–75k | $25,405 |
| $75–110k | $28,261 |
| $110k+ | $28,983 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,805 of these 2,134 students, totalling $13,498,805 — an average of $7,479 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Cook County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)