Blackburn College
Carlinville, IL · Private · Town (distant)
Private institution in Carlinville, IL · 341 undergraduates · 80% acceptance rate · $46,802 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 14%Pell Grant share
- Top 14%Student-faculty ratio
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $21,8141,253rd cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $26,7581,255th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $26,7581,123rd cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $36,9621,141st cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $24,2421,154th lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $46,8021,253rd highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,6651,434th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 52.4%1,057th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 57.7%1,642nd highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 80.1%899th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- 20798th highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 3411,767th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 9.0:1298th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 54.4%293rd highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 205 mi (MDW)
List appearances
This school doesn’t place in the top slice of any of our 111 lists. Most lists are Top 25–50, so absence here is common and says little on its own.
Applying
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- Free
- Personal essay
- Optional / not required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 39 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology, GeneralBiological Sciences | bachelors | $28,019 | $33,993 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | — | — |
| Applied MathematicsMathematics & Statistics | bachelors | — | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBiological Sciences | bachelors | — | — |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | — | $33,138 |
| ChemistryPhysical Sciences | bachelors | — | — |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyPsychology | bachelors | — | — |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | — | — |
| Communication and Media StudiesCommunications | bachelors | — | — |
| Computer Science | bachelors | — | — |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsHomeland Security & Law Enforcement | bachelors | — | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
- Religious affiliation: Presbyterian Church (USA)source
- Founded in 1837source
- Athletic nickname: "Battlin' Beavers"source
- Competes in NCAA Division IIIsource
- Mascot: Barney the Beaver and Buzz the Athletic Beaversource
- Formerly known as "Blackburn Theological Seminary" (1837–1869)source
- Formerly known as "Blackburn University" (1869–1918)source
- Athletic conference: SLIACsource
- Notable alum: Mark Kirksource
Athletics — 8 sports
NCAA Division III without football · NCAA Division III
Athletic scholarships not allowed · Athletic aid $0 (M $0 · W $0)
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport. Athletic scholarships are not allowed by association rule; non-athletic merit or need-based aid may still be available.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Blackburn College’s 341 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In IL
- Principia CollegeElsah, IL · 337 undergrads
- Methodist CollegePeoria, IL · 374 undergrads
- Saint Francis Medical Center College of NursingPeoria, IL · 267 undergrads
- Blessing Rieman College of Nursing and Health SciencesQuincy, IL · 176 undergrads
- Eureka CollegeEureka, IL · 522 undergrads
- East-West UniversityChicago, IL · 528 undergrads
Key links
- Official websiteblackburn.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 143288)
- Compare colleges in ILRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in IllinoisEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Principia CollegeSide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Blackburn College vs Principia CollegeHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 8 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.