Best Online Engineering Programs in Gurnee, IL (2026)

Gurnee, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $3,822 to $12,833 per year for indexed programs. Gurnee has a population of about 30,486. Median household income is $121,410 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 54.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning engineering-related role is Architectural and Engineering Manager at a median $163,430 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Engineering Schools to Gurnee

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer engineering programs near Gurnee. Distances are calculated from Gurnee 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 Gurnee. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

College of Lake County

Grayslake, IL 3.9 miles from Gurnee BOC Score47.4
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#2

Gateway Technical College

Kenosha, WI 16.9 miles from Gurnee BOC Score56.0
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#3

William Rainey Harper College

Palatine, IL 21.0 miles from Gurnee BOC Score59.2
Published tuition$3,822 - $12,833
Online programsYes

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#4

Oakton College

Des Plaines, IL 21.5 miles from Gurnee BOC Score57.2
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#5

McHenry County College

Crystal Lake, IL 21.7 miles from Gurnee BOC Score58.3
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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


Engineering Wages Near Gurnee

Gurnee 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)
Civil Engineer$100,160Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$96,680
Electrical Engineer$113,520Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$109,575
Mechanical Engineer$102,070Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$98,523
Chemical Engineer$110,760Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$106,911
Aerospace Engineer$134,510Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$129,836
Biomedical Engineer$98,670Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$95,241
Environmental Engineer$110,700Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$106,853
Architectural and Engineering Manager$163,430Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$157,751

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.


Gurnee at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population30,486Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$121,410Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+54.4%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)103.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Engineering-related employment in Lake County2,679 workers, 407 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Gurnee-Area Cities With Engineering Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited engineering schools are near Gurnee, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs near Gurnee. The closest is College of Lake County in Grayslake, IL (3.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is McHenry County College (21.7 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying engineering roles near Gurnee?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying engineering-related roles near Gurnee are: Architectural and Engineering Manager ($163,430), Aerospace Engineer ($134,510), Electrical Engineer ($113,520). 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 Waukegan instead of Gurnee?

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

Is Gurnee an affordable place to study engineering?

Gurnee’s median household income of $121,410 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Gurnee 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 Engineering Programs

Other Programs Available in Gurnee

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

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.