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Blackburn College: Hudson Hall
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Regional college

Blackburn College

Carlinville, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $18,460 a year

Median debt at graduation: $24,242 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Academic Excellence

BAcademic Excellence: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Good · Top 36%
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.57%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.67%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.Not reported
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.11 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$12,832

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$16,838
$30,001–$48,000$14,781
$48,001–$75,000$12,329
$75,001–$110,000$23,013
Over $110,000$23,305

Full cost of attendance before aid: $37,916 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
389
Men and women
College Scorecard, fall 2023
Men 42% · Women 58%
First-generation students
College Scorecard
44%
First-year students from another state
IPEDS, fall 2023
24%
Total students389
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$18,460
Cost of attendance (per year)$37,916
Median federal debt at graduation$24,242
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
57%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
College Scorecard, within 6 years
34%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
College Scorecard, within 6 years
34%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
College Scorecard, within 3 years
55%
First-year retention67%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$46,802
Admission rate63%
Application fee
IPEDS, 2023–24
No application fee
Typical rent
HUD fair market rent, FY2026
About $995 a month for a one-bedroom
Students receiving Pell grants50%

Value: Good (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Biology$54,587
Business administration$46,283
Criminal justice$46,004

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Accounting, Agricultural business, Applied mathematics, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Clinical and counseling psychology, Clinical laboratory science, Communication studies, Computer science, Ecology and evolutionary biology, Education (general), English, Fine arts, History, Human resources, Information technology, Interdisciplinary studies, Kinesiology and exercise science, Liberal arts, Literature, Marketing, Mathematics, Music, Natural resources and conservation, Political science, Pre-health, Pre-law and legal studies, Psychology, Public administration, Public relations, Romance languages, Secondary education, Software and media applications, Special education, Teacher education, Teaching Assistants/Aides, Theatre, Visual and performing arts, Writing and rhetoric.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Education34%
Biology19%
Criminal justice and security9%
Business9%
Parks, recreation and fitness7%

Campus life

SettingTown
Part-time undergraduates3%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older19%
On-campus room and board (per year)$9,915
SportsNCAA Division III · St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member11 to 1
Undergraduates registered with the disability officeAbout 13%IPEDS, 2023–24
Faculty who are full-time72%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student$84,688IPEDS, 2023, per student
Nearest airport with airline serviceSt. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)About 46 miles away · about 1 hour 35 minutes by car
Town population5,480Census, 2020–2024
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreSt. LouisAbout 49 miles away · about 1 hour 30 minutes by car
Typical weather28°F in January · 76°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Carlinville, IL

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape0.000.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.000.04
Burglary0.000.08
Motor vehicle theft0.000.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Blackburn College’s Compass Score?
Good (grade B). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Blackburn College cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $18,460 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Blackburn College?
Blackburn College admitted 63% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Blackburn College’s graduates do?
57% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $46,802; the median federal debt at graduation is $24,242.

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