McHenry County College
Public Community College in Crystal Lake, IL. Six-year graduation rate 37%. Median 10-year earnings $45,143.
Students who entered McHenry County College land at a median of $45,143 a decade later, close to what most four-year schools deliver. Completion is the weak point: 37% graduate within six years. Borrowing stays contained, with median debt at graduation of $6,260.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.14 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Mobility score 0.8 — limited economic uplift documented
Academics
A six-year graduation rate of 37% means finishing is closer to the exception than the rule. 71% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in three are gone before sophomore year. Retention runs well ahead of completion, which means students are not leaving immediately; they are leaving somewhere between the second year and the finish line. Transfer-out runs to 20% — common enough at this school that the completion rate is measuring a smaller group than the entering class. Retention drops to 47% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 4,335 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $6,334 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. Income makes less difference than usual: $5,609 at $0–30k, $12,345 at $110k+. Grant aid is limited — 37% of students receive any. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 3% of students.
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 · 336 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 | $5,609 |
| $30–48k | $6,383 |
| $48–75k | $7,761 |
| $75–110k | $10,497 |
| $110k+ | $12,345 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 132 of these 4,335 students, totalling $626,116 — an average of $4,743 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (McHenry 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)