Illinois launches program to help students choose college

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - College-bound students and their families now can consult an online program to determine the post-graduate economics of attending school in Illinois.

The site is called ILCollege2Career.com and allows students to gauge future earnings from areas of study at a variety of public and private institutions.

Students may click on a variety of academic disciplines for an individual school. Employment and higher education data are combined to show that student the salary he or she could expect from a degree in that field along with student debt load and other factors.

Gov. Bruce Rauner unveiled the program Thursday. He says showing the competitive advantage state schools offer will keep more students here. He says students who learn here are likely to live here and boost the economy.