Higher Education

Boone & Winnebago Counties offer various programs for students and adults to continue their education in undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees, as well as to remain current in business and technology. Executive and technical education programs are within a 15 to 30 minute drive from Boone County.


rock valley college logoRock Valley College 

Main Campus 
3301 N. Mulford Road  
Rockford, Illinois  
Visit the Website

Advanced Technology Center 
1400 Big Thunder Boulevard 
Belvidere, Illinois

Rock Valley College is a comprehensive two-year community college in Rockford, Illinois offering more than 100 courses for transfer, career programs and certificates. Founded in 1964, the college is part of the 48-institution Illinois Community College System.

Rock Valley College provides adult and continuing education programs, vocational-technical degree programs, and liberal arts programs leading to various associate and vocational degrees. Rock Valley College also provides pre-engineering and technology courses in machine design, industrial manufacturing, quality assurance, electronics, computer science and electronics engineering technology.

Rock Valley College officially opened its Advanced Technology Center (ATC) on March 30, 2022.  The 77,000 square-foot facility is located off Business 20 in Belvidere and houses many of RVC's manufacturing, technology, and industrial-based programs. The ATC will offer credit and non-credit programs, including certificate programs and stackable credential models, to help students advance faster. Learn More>>


northern il university logoNorthern Illinois University

DeKalb & Rockford, IL  
Visit the NIU Website 
Visit the Rockford Website

Northern Illinois University, the second largest university in the state, opened NIU Rockford in 1995. NIU Rockford serves a dual role in the community. This education, training and conference center offers a variety of graduate level and select undergraduate-level classes during the evenings, while it serves the community as a full-service high-quality training facility during the day. NIU Rockford offers outstanding meeting rooms, catering services, on-site audiovisual equipment and computer/telecommunications capabilities, including videoconferencing. The Center’s rooms accommodate meetings that range in size from 6 to 250 people and include a computer lab, seminar rooms, executive classrooms, tiered lecture rooms and an auditorium.


RVC/NIU Partnership 

Rock Valley College and Northern Illinois University provide a bachelor’s degree completion program for part-time students. Programs are offered in the following fields: Community Health – Emphasis in General Community Health, Computer Science – Emphasis in General Computer Science, Family & Child Studies – Emphasis in Child Development, General Studies, Nursing, Technology – Emphasis in Industrial Technology and Education – Major in Elementary Education. Credits from these programs are transferred to similar NIU programs offered through the partnership in Rockford. Classes are offered in Rockford, usually at Rock Valley College.


kishwaukee college logoKishwaukee College 

21193 Malta Rd. 
Malta, IL 60150 
Visit the Website

Real opportunity that is what Kishwaukee College is all about. For over 40 years, Kishwaukee College has been committed to providing students the opportunities that can make a real difference in their lives.

For students whose goals include a four-year university degree, Kishwaukee College offers Associate in Art and Associate in Science degrees that are fully transferable to any public university in Illinois. These programs prepare students by providing opportunities to take the general education requirements; mathematics, English, and language sequences; and the foundation coursework for their intended major in a small classroom setting with experienced, highly qualified instructors.

For students whose goals include preparation to enter the workforce in an occupation that requires specific skills, Kishwaukee College offers Associate in Applied Science degrees and a host of certificates in programs ranging from Automated Engineering Technology to Welding. These programs prepare students by providing a balance of classroom knowledge and hands-on experiences taught by skilled instructors with experience in the field and a curriculum designed and approved by advisory committees composed of local and regional professionals. 
For all students, Kishwaukee College offers programs and services that provide the opportunities to learn, to grow, to explore, to develop-all at an affordable cost.


rasmussen college logoRasmussen College 

6000E. State St. 
Rockford, IL 61108 
Visit the Website

Rasmussen College was founded in 1900 in St. Paul, Minnesota as an innovator in education, bringing practical, career‐focused education to the classroom. Today, the Rasmussen College community includes 24 campuses and more than 40 diverse online degree programs available to students around the globe.

While much has changed over the past 110 years, our focus remains the same: our students are our first priority, the employer who hires our graduates continues to be our primary customer, and developing programs that support the constituents we serve remains at the forefront of our Mission.

As a student at our Rockford, IL college campus, you will receive the level of customized support you need to achieve your academic goals. Our unique network of student support services, SUPPORT+, includes degree planning, 24/7 technical support, career services assistance, and numerous other support services—all at no additional cost to you.

As a graduate, you will have the skills and knowledge necessary to enter your career with confidence. Complete the form on this page to contact a program manager, learn more about SUPPORT+ and Rasmussen College, and schedule a campus tour. We look forward to meeting you.


rockford career college logoRockford Career College 

1130 S. Alpine Rd 
Rockford, IL 61108 
Visit the Website

For 150 years, Rockford Career College has helped thousands by giving them the skills to succeed. As an established, nationally-accredited two-year college, RCC offers programs in four general occupational clusters:Business Administration/Accounting, Information Technology, Paralegal and Health Occupations.

Within these four areas are nearly 25 programs, all with exceptional career opportunities. At Rockford Career College, our main objective is to get you into the workforce quickly. We offer a no-nonsense curriculum that focuses on real-world skills that will be immediately useful in the workplace. You’ll even have the chance to put your skills to work before you even leave RCC since all programs require an externship in the business community during your last quarter. What distinguishes us from other schools is our commitment to your success through personalized education.


rockford university logoRockford University 

5050 E. State Street  
Rockford, Illinois  
Visit the Website

Rockford University, formerly Rockford College, is a four-year, co-educational institution founded in 1847 offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in traditional liberal arts and professional fields. We offer approximately 80 majors, minors and concentrations, including the adult accelerated degree completion program for a B.S. in Management Studies and a BSN-C bachelor’s completion program in Nursing. Through our Graduate Studies department, degrees are extended to include the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT).

Rockford University is home to one of only 11 Phi Beta Kappa (PBK) chapters in Illinois, the most prestigious honor society in the United States. Named by The Princeton Review as a Best Midwestern College and one of only 81 colleges in the nation as a “College with a Conscience,” we currently serve approximately 1,250 full-and part-time students. Our mission is to educate men and women to lead responsible lives by means of a curriculum grounded in liberal arts learning and complemented and extended by professional and practical experience.


U of IL College of Medicine at Rockford logoUniversity of Illinois College of Medicine 

601 Parkview Avenue  
Rockford, Illinois  
Visit the Website

The University of Illinois College of Medicine offers over fifty programs in health and medicine. The school also provides many community health care programs, including a Residency Program for Family Practice and the Community Health Care Center. Engineering students can also take advantage of the University of Illinois through its graduate programs in general, mechanical and electrical engineering, computer science, and theoretical and applied mechanics. Classes are held on the College of Medicine Campus through Tutored Videotape Instruction (TVI), in the presence of practicing engineers or tutors. Many one-to-five day intensive study programs are also offered in addition to over 35 graduate-level engineering courses and specialized computer classes.