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Palatine , IL
Harper College is a comprehensive community college located in Palatine, Illinois. Established in 1967, the college offers a wide range of programs and courses designed to meet the needs of both traditional and non-traditional students. With a commitment to academic excellence, Harper College provides students with a supportive learning environment and numerous resources to ensure their success.
The college offers over 50 career programs and more than 100 transfer programs, allowing students to pursue various educational pathways. These programs cover diverse fields such as business, healthcare, engineering, arts, and sciences. The faculty at Harper College are highly experienced and dedicated to providing quality education, while the state-of-the-art facilities and modern technology enhance the learning experience.
Harper College understands the importance of affordability for students, and as such, the college offers various financial aid options, including scholarships, grants, and loans. The college boasts a vibrant campus life, with numerous student clubs, organizations, and athletics teams. Additionally, Harper College is committed to community engagement through partnerships with local businesses and organizations, providing opportunities for internships, job placements, and community service for its students.
Located in Palatine, IL and set in a suburban environment, Harper College is a public two-year college with graduate programs. This school uses a semester-based calendar. The freshman retention rate at Harper College is 77%.
Find out more about what you can expect if you get into Harper College.
Quick Facts
13,987
Total Number of Undergraduate Students
21:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
Admissions
If you know as much as possible about the school's criteria for admission, you can make a better judgment about your eligibility and boost your chances of getting accepted. Read on to learn some vital info about admission at Harper College.
As far as admission difficulty is considered, based on data self-reported by the institution this school is relatively noncompetitive.
Test Scores
46% of first-time, first-year degree-seeking students submitted their SAT scores for admission, and 1% submitted ACT scores, out of the overall number of those who submitted test scores. 2.63% of the new students submitted SAT composite scores between 1,400 and 1,600, 14.16% between 1,200 and 1,399, 39.02% between 1,000 and 1,199, 34.03% between 800 and 999, and 10.16% of the students between 600 and 799. The percent of new students who submitted ACT Composite scores in the range between 30-36 was 11.76, 29.41 between 24-29, 41.18 in the range between 18-23, and 17.65 between 12-17.
The latest reported average GPA of the enrolled students was 2.99.
Retention Rate
The freshman retention rate is defined as the percentage of first-year students who return for their sophomore year at a college or university. Why is that information important? Because it tells you if the majority of freshmen enjoyed their first year at a school enough to come back.
The freshman retention rate for Harper College was 77% in 2025, a reflection of the high standards and excellent educational experience at this school.
Student Body
It is never easy to figure out which school is the best choice for you. Obtaining a better insight into a school's student body helps you learn more about its culture and life.
Main Student Body
In 2025, the school enrolled 13,987 students.
That year, the school had 0.02% of students coming from another state. There was a total of 13,987 students working towards bachelor's degrees, including 169 international students. The school admitted a total of 455 transfer students.
Student Population Gender Ratio
The student body is coeducational, with 2,024 male and 2,028 female full-time students in 2025, which speaks volumes for gender equality at this institution.
Student Population Diversity
In order to enhance a sense of inclusion and belonging among its students, higher education is dedicated to increasing student diversity. In a diverse learning space, you will be exposed to people from different backgrounds, which promotes the feeling of inclusion and acceptance. Learn more about all the ethnic communities you might encounter at this institution.
In 2025, out of the total number of students enrolled at the institution, the number of Asian students was 1,187, while the number of Afro-American students was 450. 3,113 undergraduates at this school identified as Hispanic/Latino and 397 identified with more than one race. The school also had 84 students who identified as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, as well as 9 American Indian or Alaska Native students. There were also 52 students whose ethnicity is unknown.
Cost
The financial aspect is one of the most important things to think about before applying to any college or university. Here are some important facts on Harper College costs that most students encounter at this school.
Tuition and Fees
Wondering about tuition at Harper College? Here is what you need to know.
If you are an area resident, your tuition was $3,396. Tuition fees were $11,448 for students coming from out of state. For international students, tuition fees at this school totaled $11,448, as well. Fees per academic year required of full-time students came to a total of $774 in 2025.
| Category | Tuition | Fees | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Out-of-State | $11,448 | $774 | $12,222 |
| In-State | $9,636 | $774 | $10,410 |
Books and Supplies
When you try to estimate the cost of attendance for a college or university, you need to think about the cost of books and supplies you're going to need. Most students have to pay about $1,100 for books and supplies during their time at Harper College.
Boarding
Besides tuition, another cost to consider is the price of housing in the dorms and eating at the school cafeteria. How much do room and board fees average around at schools?
In 2025, the price of room and board at Harper College was $14,656 per academic year.
| Expense Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $ 9,636 |
| Room and Board | $ 14,656 |
| Book and Supplies | $ 1,100 |
| Total Expense | $ 25,392 |
Financial Aid
Getting some financial help in forms of grants, loans, scholarships or work-study programs can be vital for finishing your studies. If you are interested in finding out more about need-based and non-need-based aid at Harper College, here are some recent data you should take into consideration.
The most recent records show that 805 freshmen received some sort of financial help. The average financial aid package awarded to students reached $7,179.
Need-based
Need-based aid is financial aid that a student can receive if they are determened to have financial need and meet other eligibility criteria.
There were 1,362 students who got need-based financial aid of any kind. Need-based college-administered scholarship and grant aid at Harper College is available to international students. The overall number of students (including freshmen) who were determined to have financial need was estimated to be 2,099. The amount of federal need-based scholarships/grants awarded to the students at this institution reached $11,668,198, and state $5,316,431. The students of Harper College received the -institutional need-based aid in the amount of $3,690,808, and external in the amount of $158,389.
$2,043
Average Amount of Aid Received
Non-Need Based
Non-need-based aid is any type of financial aid given to a student who does not meet the requirements for need-based aid. The most popular forms of non-need-based financial aid for students are loans and grants, like Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Graduate PLUS Loans, Parent PLUS Loans, and the Teacher Education Access for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant.
Institutional non-need-based scholarships or grants were given to 629 students overall (including freshmen) at Harper College in 2025. Institutional help in the form of non-need-based scholarships or grants was given to 285 full-time freshmen.
Majors
Faculty
21:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
Getting information about the faculty at a school can help you estimate the quality of education you will receive there.
In 2025, this ratio at Harper College was 21:1. That means that there were 21 times more students than teachers at this school. This school has recently reported to have 637 faculty members. This number included 307 men and 330 women. The fact that female faculty members outnumber the male ones at this school speaks volumes for gender equality at Harper College.
Student Population Diversity Graph
Campus Life
Not everything at Harper College is about learning and grades: campus life is an essential part of your educational experience. Find out some information about students' life at Harper College.
Its campus spans 200 acres.
Student Organizations
A student organization is run by students at a university or a college institution, whose membership typically consists only of current students and/or alumni.
This school has 54 open-membership student organizations you can participate in. The most popular student organization is Phi Theta Kappa, followed by Nursing Club and Student Senate. Other popular organizations at Harper College are Program Board and Student Radio Station.
There is a drama club you can join if acting is something that interests you. For students interested in media and communication, Harper College publishes its own newspaper and has its own radio station.
Student Services
At Harper College, there are many amenities required for a comfortable and safe life on campus.
24/7 emergency phone and alarm devices are available. There is a security patrol available 24/7. The late-night transport/escort service is available.
This school has a health clinic with personal/psychological counseling. In addition, other services like Legal Services and Women's Center are available to the students of Harper College.
All in all, campus life at Harper College is rich and vibrant and provides everything most students need.
Career Services
Having career services at a college or university can mean a great deal for your career planning, so find out what you can expect at Harper College.
Career Counselling
At Harper College, there is both group career counseling for all students and individual career counseling for all students. There are a library, a job bank, and job fairs. Job interviews are also available to students through the career center. The career center offers resume preparation and resume referral to employers. There is campus employer recruitment for all the students.
FAQ
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Harper College is located in Palatine, IL.
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Harper College offers need-based college-administered scholarship and grant aid to international students.
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According to the latest information, the freshman retention rate for Harper College is 77%.
Contact Information
Data Source: IPEDS and Peterson's Databases © 2023 Peterson's LLC All rights reserved. Portions of this content were co-written with OpenAI's GPT-3.5 model.
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Data Source: IPEDS and Peterson's Databases © 2023 Peterson's LLC All rights reserved.
Portions of this content were co-written with OpenAI's GPT-3.5 model.
