Is Lake Land College Worth It?

Lake Land College gives you a low-cost path to a middling paycheck, and whether that math works depends entirely on what you study. You leave with about $6,188 in debt against median earnings near $38,877 a decade out. The debt is small enough that even a modest salary clears it, so the financial risk here is low on the borrowing side.

The earnings spread across programs is what matters. Registered Nursing pays roughly $56,748, the clear winner, and the debt tied to it stays manageable at $6,816. Agricultural Mechanization and the electromechanical maintenance track both land in the low-to-mid $40,000s, which fits the farm-belt and industrial economy around Mattoon. Dental support and allied health/medical assisting sit in the low $40,000s too, though dental support carries slightly higher debt at $8,000 for a similar payoff. If you enroll without landing in nursing, ag, the skilled trades, or an allied-health field, the school's overall median suggests your return drops fast.

The net price tiers reward lower-income families the most. If your family earns under $30,000, you pay about $1,259 a year. that is close to free, and against a nursing salary the return is strong. The jump happens above $75,000, where the yearly price more than doubles to over $9,300. At that point you are paying near full sticker for an associate degree, so the payoff hinges on picking one of the high-earning programs.

This school fits you if you want a career-tied associate degree in health care, agriculture, or industrial maintenance and you want to graduate with little debt. The 53.5% graduation rate means roughly half of students do not finish, so the real risk is spending time and money without a credential. Look elsewhere if you want a program outside the school's technical and health strengths.