Best Entrepreneurship Schools Near Machesney Park, IL (2026)

Machesney Park, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering entrepreneurship programs, with tuition ranging from $31,360 to $43,137 per year for indexed programs. Machesney Park has a population of about 22,744. Median household income is $74,244 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 18.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Rockford, IL metro area, the top-earning entrepreneurship-related role is Marketing Manager at a median $124,440 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Entrepreneurship Schools to Machesney Park

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer entrepreneurship programs near Machesney Park, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Machesney Park 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:

  • 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 Machesney Park. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score β€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Judson University

Elgin, IL 43.1 miles from Machesney Park
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
52.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 48%
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,313
Avg net price $18,558/yr
Tuition
In‑state$31,360
Out‑of‑state$31,360
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 7

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

North Central College

Naperville, IL 61.1 miles from Machesney Park
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
67.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $60,123
Avg net price $21,044/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Benedictine University

Lisle, IL 62.7 miles from Machesney Park
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
56.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,446
Avg net price $22,313/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 68%
  • Programs offered: 13

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, IL 64.3 miles from Machesney Park
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
64.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,462
Avg net price $24,185/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 18

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Dominican University

River Forest, IL 69.5 miles from Machesney Park
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
68.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $60,327
Avg net price $11,745/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 9

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Concordia University-Chicago

River Forest, IL 70.2 miles from Machesney Park
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
49.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,089
Avg net price $18,436/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL 72.5 miles from Machesney Park
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
81.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $89,363
Avg net price $29,167/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 23

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, IL 74.6 miles from Machesney Park
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
66.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,530
Avg net price $36,079/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Entrepreneurship Wages Near Machesney Park

Machesney Park is part of the Rockford, IL metro area (BLS area code 40420). 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$98,390Rockford, IL$106,714
Management Analyst$96,430Rockford, IL$104,588
Marketing Manager$124,440Rockford, IL$134,967
Market Research Analyst$61,810Rockford, IL$67,039

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.


Machesney Park at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population22,744Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$74,244Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+18.1%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)92.2 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Machesney Park-Area Cities With Entrepreneurship Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited entrepreneurship schools are near Machesney Park, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering entrepreneurship programs near Machesney Park. The closest is Rock Valley College in Rockford, IL (4.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Judson University (43.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying entrepreneurship roles near Machesney Park?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying entrepreneurship-related roles near Machesney Park are: Marketing Manager ($124,440), General and Operations Manager ($98,390), Management Analyst ($96,430). 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 Loves Park instead of Machesney Park?

Loves Park, IL is 2.6 miles from Machesney Park and has its own set of local entrepreneurship programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Machesney Park an affordable place to study entrepreneurship?

Machesney Park’s median household income of $74,244 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Machesney Park 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 Entrepreneurship Programs

Other Programs Available in Machesney Park

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

Data verified: August 25, 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.