Best Interior Design Schools Near Waukegan, IL (2026)

Updated August 25, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Waukegan, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering interior design programs, with tuition ranging from $4,788 to $50,822 per year for indexed 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 interior design-related role is Interior Designer at a median $76,570 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Interior Design Schools to Waukegan

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer interior design programs near Waukegan, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Waukegan 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 Waukegan. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

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#1

William Rainey Harper College

Palatine, IL 22.3 miles from Waukegan
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
59.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,071
Avg net price $11,607/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 73

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Judson University

Elgin, IL 30.3 miles from Waukegan
  • 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

#3

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, IL 36.5 miles from Waukegan
  • 4 year
24.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,195
Avg net price $26,598/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 65%
  • Programs offered: 13

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

College of DuPage

Glen Ellyn, IL 37.8 miles from Waukegan
  • 2 year
47.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,909
Avg net price $7,401/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 98

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Joliet Junior College

Joliet, IL 62.8 miles from Waukegan
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
55.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,889
Avg net price $1,672/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,530
Out‑of‑state$13,800
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL 84.1 miles from Waukegan
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
54.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,213
Avg net price $20,729/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 13

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Illinois State University

Normal, IL 140.8 miles from Waukegan
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
71.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 88%
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,117
Avg net price $19,398/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,144
Out‑of‑state$28,210
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Carbondale, IL 329.7 miles from Waukegan
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
55.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,390
Avg net price $13,297/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 68%
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Interior Design 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)
Interior Designer$76,570Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$73,909
Graphic Designer$66,490Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$64,180

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

Other Waukegan-Area Cities With Interior Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited interior design schools are near Waukegan, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering interior design programs near Waukegan. The closest is College of Lake County in Grayslake, IL (7.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is William Rainey Harper College (22.3 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying interior design roles near Waukegan?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying interior design-related roles near Waukegan are: Interior Designer ($76,570), Graphic Designer ($66,490). 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 interior design 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 interior design?

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 Interior Design Programs

Other Programs Available in Waukegan

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

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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