Best Online Business Administration Programs in Waukegan, IL (2026)

Waukegan, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering business administration programs. Waukegan has a population of about 88,919. Median household income is $70,578 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 21.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning business administration-related role is Financial Manager at a median $168,810 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Business Administration Schools to Waukegan

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer business administration programs near Waukegan. Distances are calculated from Waukegan city center.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Waukegan. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

College of Lake County

Grayslake, IL 7.3 miles from Waukegan BOC Score47.4
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#2

Herzing University-Kenosha

Kenosha, WI 15.0 miles from Waukegan BOC Score31.8
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#3

Gateway Technical College

Kenosha, WI 16.4 miles from Waukegan BOC Score56.0
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#4

Carthage College

Kenosha, WI 17.7 miles from Waukegan BOC Score47.9
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#5

University of Wisconsin-Parkside

Kenosha, WI 19.2 miles from Waukegan BOC Score48.9
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois business administration page.


Business Administration Wages Near Waukegan

Waukegan is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
General and Operations Manager$109,390Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$105,589
Administrative Services Manager$108,940Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$105,154
Financial Manager$168,810Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$162,944
Human Resources Manager$156,770Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$151,322
Management Analyst$105,090Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$101,438
Project Management Specialist$105,320Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$101,660
Accountant or Auditor$82,360Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$79,498
Training and Development Specialist$67,050Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$64,720
Office and Administrative Support Supervisor$71,730Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$69,237

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Waukegan at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population88,919Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$70,578Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+21.0%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)103.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Business Administration-related employment in Lake County20,458 workers, 1,356 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Waukegan-Area Cities With Business Administration Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited business administration schools are near Waukegan, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering business administration programs near Waukegan. The closest is College of Lake County in Grayslake, IL (7.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Wisconsin-Parkside (19.2 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying business administration roles near Waukegan?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying business administration-related roles near Waukegan are: Financial Manager ($168,810), Human Resources Manager ($156,770), General and Operations Manager ($109,390). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Gurnee instead of Waukegan?

Gurnee, IL is 3.4 miles from Waukegan and has its own set of local business administration programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Waukegan an affordable place to study business administration?

Waukegan’s median household income of $70,578 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Waukegan while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Business Administration Programs

Other Programs Available in Waukegan

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Waukegan:

Data verified: June 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.