Vernon Hills, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering photography programs, with tuition ranging from $31,360 to $43,137 per year for indexed programs. Vernon Hills has a population of about 26,772. Median household income is $120,625 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 66.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning photography-related role is Graphic Designer at a median $66,490 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Photography Schools to Vernon Hills
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer photography programs near Vernon Hills, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Vernon Hills 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 Vernon Hills.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
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
71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,530
Avg net price
$36,079/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 26
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$60,327
Avg net price
$11,745/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 9
Source: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: 15
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,195
Avg net price
$26,598/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 65%
- Programs offered: 13
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
Graduation rate
86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$81,054
Avg net price
$14,355/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 95%
- Programs offered: 17
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$51,262
Avg net price
$21,989/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 74%
- Programs offered: 12
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois photography page.
Photography Wages Near Vernon Hills
Vernon Hills 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) |
|---|
| Photographer | $36,810 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $35,531 |
| Graphic Designer | $66,490 | Chicago-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.
Vernon Hills at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 26,772 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $120,625 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 66.6% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 103.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Vernon Hills-Area Cities With Photography Programs
- Mundelein, IL – 3.5 mi away (31,475 pop)
- Libertyville, IL – 3.7 mi away (20,405 pop)
- Buffalo Grove, IL – 4.6 mi away (41,346 pop)
- Wheeling, IL – 7.4 mi away (38,315 pop)
- North Chicago, IL – 7.7 mi away (29,951 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited photography schools are near Vernon Hills, IL?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering photography programs near Vernon Hills. The closest is William Rainey Harper College in Palatine, IL (11.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Loyola University Chicago (22.5 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying photography roles near Vernon Hills?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying photography-related roles near Vernon Hills are: Graphic Designer ($66,490), Photographer ($36,810). 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 Mundelein instead of Vernon Hills?
Mundelein, IL is 3.5 miles from Vernon Hills and has its own set of local photography programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Vernon Hills an affordable place to study photography?
Vernon Hills’s median household income of $120,625 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Vernon Hills 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 Photography Programs
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- Emergency Management programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Fire Science programs in Vernon Hills, IL
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- Legal Services programs in Vernon Hills, IL
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- Paralegal programs in Vernon Hills, IL
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- Computer Engineering programs in Vernon Hills, IL
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- Artificial Intelligence programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Machine Learning programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Supply Chain Management programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Data Analytics programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Public Health programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Human Resources programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Project Management programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Special Education programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Homeland Security programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Marketing programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Finance programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Kinesiology programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Sports Management programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Early Childhood Education programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Elementary Education programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Biology programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Communications programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Graphic Design programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Human Services programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- MBA programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Criminal Justice programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Nursing programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Business Administration programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Computer Science programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Psychology programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Education programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Engineering programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Technology programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Liberal Arts programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Healthcare programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Cybersecurity programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Accounting programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Healthcare Administration programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Social Work programs in Vernon Hills, IL
- Counseling programs in Vernon Hills, 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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