Ottawa, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering entrepreneurship programs, with tuition ranging from $4,530 to $13,800 per year for indexed programs. Ottawa has a population of about 18,714. Median household income is $73,011 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 21.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Illinois, the top-earning entrepreneurship-related role is Marketing Manager at a median $162,860 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Entrepreneurship Schools to Ottawa
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer entrepreneurship programs near Ottawa, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Ottawa 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 Ottawa.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$63,926
Avg net price
$13,006/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 76%
- Programs offered: 18
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: 15
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: 13
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
48%
Graduation rate
56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$56,313
Avg net price
$18,558/yr
TuitionIn‑state$31,360
Out‑of‑state$31,360
Key stats- Retention rate: 66%
- Programs offered: 7
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$55,700
Avg net price
$19,125/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 80%
- Programs offered: 9
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$61,462
Avg net price
$24,185/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 78%
- Programs offered: 18
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$70,871
Avg net price
$28,199/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 82%
- Programs offered: 4
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$66,852
Avg net price
$22,719/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 22
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois entrepreneurship page.
Entrepreneurship Wages Near Ottawa
| Occupation | Median Annual Wage (Illinois, statewide) |
|---|
| General and Operations Manager | $103,570 |
| Management Analyst | $104,270 |
| Marketing Manager | $162,860 |
| Market Research Analyst | $79,120 |
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.
Ottawa at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 18,714 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $73,011 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 21.9% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
Other Ottawa-Area Cities With Entrepreneurship Programs
- Peru, IL – 15.7 mi away (30,795 pop)
- Braidwood, IL – 32.1 mi away (22,563 pop)
- Oswego, IL – 34.3 mi away (34,571 pop)
- Plainfield, IL – 36.4 mi away (42,933 pop)
- Joliet, IL – 37.2 mi away (148,262 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited entrepreneurship schools are near Ottawa, IL?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering entrepreneurship programs near Ottawa. The closest is Joliet Junior College in Joliet, IL (35.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Sauk Valley Community College (51.0 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying entrepreneurship roles in Illinois?
Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying entrepreneurship-related roles in Illinois are: Marketing Manager ($162,860), Management Analyst ($104,270), General and Operations Manager ($103,570). Wages for Ottawa workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.
Should I look at programs in Peru instead of Ottawa?
Peru, IL is 15.7 miles from Ottawa 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 Ottawa an affordable place to study entrepreneurship?
Ottawa’s median household income of $73,011 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Ottawa 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 Ottawa
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Ottawa:
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- Cloud Computing programs in Ottawa, IL
- Computer Engineering programs in Ottawa, IL
- Innovation programs in Ottawa, IL
- Mobile App Development programs in Ottawa, IL
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- Project Management programs in Ottawa, IL
- Special Education programs in Ottawa, IL
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- Finance programs in Ottawa, IL
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- Sports Management programs in Ottawa, IL
- Early Childhood Education programs in Ottawa, IL
- Elementary Education programs in Ottawa, IL
- Biology programs in Ottawa, IL
- Communications programs in Ottawa, IL
- Graphic Design programs in Ottawa, IL
- Human Services programs in Ottawa, IL
- MBA programs in Ottawa, IL
- Criminal Justice programs in Ottawa, IL
- Nursing programs in Ottawa, IL
- Business Administration programs in Ottawa, IL
- Computer Science programs in Ottawa, IL
- Psychology programs in Ottawa, IL
- Education programs in Ottawa, IL
- Engineering programs in Ottawa, IL
- Technology programs in Ottawa, IL
- Liberal Arts programs in Ottawa, IL
- Healthcare programs in Ottawa, IL
- Cybersecurity programs in Ottawa, IL
- Accounting programs in Ottawa, IL
- Healthcare Administration programs in Ottawa, IL
- Social Work programs in Ottawa, IL
- Counseling programs in Ottawa, IL
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.
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