Oak Forest, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $8,675 to $16,094 per year for indexed programs. Oak Forest has a population of about 26,888. Median household income is $87,941 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 30.1% 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 Oak Forest
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer engineering programs near Oak Forest, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Oak Forest city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Oak Forest.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$91,885
Avg net price
$14,860/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 99%
- Programs offered: 105
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
71%
Graduation rate
65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$66,099
Avg net price
$17,028/yr
TuitionIn‑state$39,200
Out‑of‑state$39,200
Key stats
- Retention rate: 81%
- Programs offered: 85
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
55%
Graduation rate
74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$82,592
Avg net price
$18,425/yr
TuitionIn‑state$52,386
Out‑of‑state$52,386
Key stats
- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 76
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,740
Avg net price
$10,974/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 140
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
19%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$29,963
Avg net price
$21,697/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 37%
- Programs offered: 8
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,751
Avg net price
$30,902/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 166
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$63,446
Avg net price
$22,313/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 68%
- Programs offered: 55
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$60,123
Avg net price
$21,044/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 70
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois engineering page.
Engineering Wages Near Oak Forest
Oak Forest 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.
| Occupation |
Median Wage |
Source |
COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
| Civil Engineer |
$100,160 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$96,680 |
| Electrical Engineer |
$113,520 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$109,575 |
| Mechanical Engineer |
$102,070 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$98,523 |
| Chemical Engineer |
$110,760 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$106,911 |
| Aerospace Engineer |
$134,510 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$129,836 |
| Biomedical Engineer |
$98,670 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$95,241 |
| Environmental Engineer |
$110,700 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$106,853 |
| Architectural and Engineering Manager |
$163,430 |
Chicago-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.
Oak Forest at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
26,888 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$87,941 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
30.1% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) |
103.6 (above U.S. average) |
BEA RPP 2024 |
| Engineering-related employment in Cook County |
28,825 workers, 2,790 establishments |
BLS QCEW 2024 annual |
Other Oak Forest-Area Cities With Engineering Programs
- Tinley Park, IL – 3.8 mi away (56,831 pop)
- Blue Island, IL – 5.2 mi away (23,401 pop)
- Harvey, IL – 5.2 mi away (24,947 pop)
- Orland Park, IL – 5.6 mi away (58,862 pop)
- Oak Lawn, IL – 7.5 mi away (56,257 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited engineering schools are near Oak Forest, IL?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs near Oak Forest. The closest is South Suburban College in South Holland, IL (6.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Purdue University Northwest (14.5 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying engineering roles near Oak Forest?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying engineering-related roles near Oak Forest 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 Tinley Park instead of Oak Forest?
Tinley Park, IL is 3.8 miles from Oak Forest 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 Oak Forest an affordable place to study engineering?
Oak Forest’s median household income of $87,941 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Oak Forest 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 Oak Forest
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Oak Forest:
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- Sustainability Management programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Behavioral Health Science programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Mental Health Counseling programs in Oak Forest, IL
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- International Business programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Organizational Leadership programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Management Information Systems programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Nonprofit Management programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Operations Management programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Public Administration programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Real Estate programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Recreation Management programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Retail Management programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Risk Management programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Statistics programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Taxation programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Corrections programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Crime Analysis programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Criminology programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Cybercrime programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Emergency Management programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Fire Science programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Forensic Science programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Legal Services programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Legal Studies programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Paralegal programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Security Management programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Cloud Computing programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Computer Engineering programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Innovation programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Mobile App Development programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Software Development programs in Oak Forest, IL
- User Experience programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Web Development programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Machine Learning programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Supply Chain Management programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Data Analytics programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Public Health programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Human Resources programs in Oak Forest, IL
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- Special Education programs in Oak Forest, IL
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- Finance programs in Oak Forest, IL
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- Early Childhood Education programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Elementary Education programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Biology programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Communications programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Graphic Design programs in Oak Forest, IL
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- MBA programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Criminal Justice programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Nursing programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Business Administration programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Computer Science programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Psychology programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Education programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Technology programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Liberal Arts programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Healthcare programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Cybersecurity programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Accounting programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Healthcare Administration programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Social Work programs in Oak Forest, IL
- Counseling programs in Oak Forest, IL
Data verified: September 6, 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.
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