How much do Electrician schools cost in Illinois?

The median annual net price (what students actually pay after aid) across 21 electrician schools in Illinois is $7,401. Individual schools range widely — the table above shows each school's real cost, not sticker price.

Can you get paid to train as a electrician in Illinois?

Yes — Illinois has 105 registered apprenticeship programs where you earn wages while you train instead of paying tuition. See the electrician apprenticeships page for the current list.

What does a electrician earn in Illinois?

Working electrician professionals in Illinois earn a median of $99,560 per year, ranging from about $49,240 to $123,660 (U.S. Department of Labor). This is what people in the job earn, which differs from a school's reported graduate-earnings figure.

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Electrician Schools in Illinois

21 schools in Illinois offer electrician-related programs, compared below on official cost, completion, and earnings data. Prefer to earn while you learn? 105 registered apprenticeship programs in Illinois train electrician apprentices — see apprenticeships. Federal program data groups electrician with electrical lineman — schools below may offer any of these.

Schools in Illinois

Median net price / yr (Illinois)

$7,401

national: $8,759

Median earnings (Illinois)

$38,657

national: $38,112

Apprenticeship sponsors

105

earn while training

Electrician pay in Illinois (all workers)

$99,560

range $49,240–$123,660 · U.S. DOL occupation wage

Occupation pay is what working electrician professionals in Illinois earn (all experience levels) — school "earnings" figures above are medians for each school's recent federally-aided students across all its programs, which read lower.

Electrician licensing in Illinois: Licensed at city/county level

Illinois has no state electrician license — licensing is handled city by city, and Chicago is the dominant jurisdiction: its Department of Buildings issues Supervising Electrician and Electrical Contractor licenses, with the supervising exam requiring at least 2 years of experience and testing on Chicago's own electrical code. Suburban municipalities license separately, often via ICC exams, and credentials don't automatically transfer. Most electricians train through a registered apprenticeship and work under a licensed supervising electrician or contractor.

Official source: City of Chicago Department of Buildings (no statewide licensing agency for electricians) · Exam: Chicago Supervising Electrician examination (Chicago Electrical Code); suburban municipalities commonly use ICC-based exams — credentials do not automatically transfer between them · Typical requirement: Chicago Supervising Electrician: at least 2 years of electrical experience plus passing the city exam (based on the Chicago Electrical Code); electrical contractors must employ or be owned by a licensed supervising electrician

Official license records related to electrician in Illinois

From the U.S. Department of Labor's License Finder — these may include contractor, specialty, or related licenses beyond entry-level requirements:

ELECTRICAL HOISTING ENGINEER — Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Mines and Minerals, Division of Mine Safety and Training~Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Mines and Minerals, Division of Mine Safety and Training~Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Mines and Minerals, Division of Mine Safety and Training
COAL MINE ELECTRICIAN SURFACE — Illinois Department of Natural Resources
COAL MINE ELECTRICIAN RENEWAL — Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Wage and license data provided by CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA) and Minnesota DEED.

Schools, ranked by earnings per tuition dollar

School	City	Type	Net price / yr	Completion	Earnings (10 yr)
Joliet Junior College	Joliet	public	$1,672	20.4%	$42,889
Illinois Valley Community College	Oglesby	public	$2,232	37.2%	$40,810
Lake Land College	Mattoon	public	$2,254	55%	$38,877
Lewis and Clark Community College	Godfrey	public	$3,349	50%	$37,724
Kishwaukee College	Malta	public	$4,574	36.6%	$39,657
Prairie State College	Chicago Heights	public	$4,738	20.4%	$36,696
Rock Valley College	Rockford	public	$5,242	32.4%	$39,158
College of DuPage	Glen Ellyn	public	$7,401	24.7%	$46,909
John A Logan College	Carterville	public	$5,541	31.7%	$34,096
Kaskaskia College	Centralia	public	$6,477	39.1%	$38,801
College of Lake County	Grayslake	public	$7,607	34.1%	$43,424
John Wood Community College	Quincy	public	$7,050	42.1%	$38,631
City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College	Chicago	public	$7,886	34.2%	$37,962
Parkland College	Champaign	public	$8,048	29.5%	$38,320
Waubonsee Community College	Sugar Grove	public	$11,442	32.2%	$44,788
Illinois Eastern Community Colleges	Olney	public	$10,092	56.1%	$37,533
Southwestern Illinois College	Belleville	public	$10,427	33.1%	$36,884
City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College	Chicago	public	$9,494	27.4%	$28,467
Lincoln College of Technology-Melrose Park	Melrose Park	private for-profit	$25,598	61.7%	$38,683
Midwest Technical Institute-Illinois	Springfield	private for-profit	$27,793	71.9%	$33,601
HVAC Technical Institute	Chicago	private for-profit	$20,403	81%	not reported

Ranking = median earnings 10 years after entry per $1,000 of average yearly net price (methodology). Figures are institution-wide federal medians for each school as a whole — not electrician graduates specifically. Schools without both figures sort last — "not reported" means the federal dataset lacks the value, not that the school is bad.

Common questions: Electrician school in Illinois

How much do Electrician schools cost in Illinois?: The median annual net price (what students actually pay after aid) across 21 electrician schools in Illinois is $7,401. Individual schools range widely — the table above shows each school's real cost, not sticker price.
Do you need a license to work as a electrician in Illinois?: Illinois has no state electrician license — licensing is handled city by city, and Chicago is the dominant jurisdiction: its Department of Buildings issues Supervising Electrician and Electrical Contractor licenses, with the supervising exam requiring at least 2 years of experience and testing on Chicago's own electrical code. Suburban municipalities license separately, often via ICC exams, and credentials don't automatically transfer. Most electricians train through a registered apprenticeship and work under a licensed supervising electrician or contractor.
Can you get paid to train as a electrician in Illinois?: Yes — Illinois has 105 registered apprenticeship programs where you earn wages while you train instead of paying tuition. See the electrician apprenticeships page for the current list.
What does a electrician earn in Illinois?: Working electrician professionals in Illinois earn a median of $99,560 per year, ranging from about $49,240 to $123,660 (U.S. Department of Labor). This is what people in the job earn, which differs from a school's reported graduate-earnings figure.

Aid deadlines for electrician programs in Illinois

Federal and state aid programs have windows and deadlines. Get them for your trade and state, plus program matches.

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Electrician schools in nearby states

See all states & the full electrician guide →

Data: U.S. Dept of Education College Scorecard (most recent release, pulled July 2026) + U.S. Dept of Labor apprenticeship.gov. Methodology & provenance. Independent site — not affiliated with any government agency.