Best Legal Services Schools Near Charleston, IL (2026)

Charleston, Illinois has 10 accredited schools offering legal services programs, with tuition ranging from $4,415 to $35,270 per year for indexed programs. Charleston has a population of about 17,212. Median household income is $49,057 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 34.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Illinois, the top-earning legal services-related role is Lawyer at a median $160,800 annually (BLS, May 2025).


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

#1

Lake Land College

Mattoon, IL 12.0 miles from Charleston BOC Score 53.4
  • 2 year
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,877
Avg net price $2,254/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,415
Out‑of‑state$14,301
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 79

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Kaskaskia College

Centralia, IL 83.8 miles from Charleston BOC Score 54.8
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,801
Avg net price $6,477/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,800
Out‑of‑state$12,570
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Illinois State University

Normal, IL 83.9 miles from Charleston BOC Score 71.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
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: 66

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Illinois Central College

East Peoria, IL 110.3 miles from Charleston BOC Score 50.0
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,366
Avg net price $12,961/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 70

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Kankakee Community College

Kankakee, IL 112.5 miles from Charleston BOC Score 53.4
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,767
Avg net price $4,665/yr
Tuition
In‑state$5,220
Out‑of‑state$25,830
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 56

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Lewis and Clark Community College

Godfrey, IL 113.9 miles from Charleston BOC Score 49.1
  • 2 year
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,724
Avg net price $3,349/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,340
Out‑of‑state$7,840
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Southwestern Illinois College

Belleville, IL 115.1 miles from Charleston BOC Score 49.6
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,884
Avg net price $10,427/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 84

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Carbondale, IL 134.8 miles from Charleston BOC Score 55.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
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: 59

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


OccupationMedian Annual Wage (Illinois, statewide)
Paralegal and Legal Assistant$63,670
Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant$52,790
Lawyer$160,800

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.


Charleston at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population17,212Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$49,057Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+34.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)


Frequently Asked Questions

Our directory has 10 accredited schools offering legal services programs near Charleston. The closest is Lake Land College in Mattoon, IL (11.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Purdue University Global (94.3 miles). 9 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying legal services-related roles in Illinois are: Lawyer ($160,800), Paralegal and Legal Assistant ($63,670), Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant ($52,790). Wages for Charleston workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.

Should I look at programs in Terre Haute instead of Charleston?

Terre Haute, IN is 42.8 miles from Charleston and has its own set of local legal services programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Charleston’s median household income of $49,057 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Charleston 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.


Other Programs Available in Charleston

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

Data verified: August 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.