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Massage therapy school in Illinois

9 massage therapy programs with results and funding that can make them free

9 schools offer these massage therapy programs, and Illinois has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows how past students did; Illinois files no usable prices.

Massage therapists press and work the body's soft tissues and joints to treat their clients. A diploma or certificate takes several months or more, and most states require a license or certification, usually an approved massage therapy program and a passed exam.1 In 46 of the 49 places that regulate massage, DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands among them, the licensing exam is the MBLEx from the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards.2

In Illinois, 2 of the 9 programs take students without a high school diploma, 3 ask for a diploma or equivalent and 4 ask for earlier courses first.

All 9 are the same kind of program: massage therapy certificate or diploma.

See the 9 programs

How much does massage therapy school cost in Illinois?

Not reported

Illinois files no usable prices, so none can be shown.

In the typical program

Finished the program
Not reported
None of the 9 programs report it
Working 6 months later
Not enough data
1 program reports it; a typical figure needs 5
Earned a year, estimated
Not enough data
1 program reports it; a typical figure needs 5
Length
36 to 48 weeks

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Illinois may also offer massage therapy school. How these figures are made

Is there free massage therapy school in Illinois?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

All 9 massage therapy programs in Illinois approved for WIOA funding

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9 programs

  • Massage therapy certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Massage Therapy Certificate

    Lake Land College

    Mattoon

    Accredited school

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Lake Land College, MattoonMassage therapy certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimated$24,700
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Massage Therapy Certificate at Lake Land College
    More details about Massage Therapy Certificate at Lake Land College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    50%
    Earned in a quarter
    $6,180
    Length
    56 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    12
    Earned a year, estimated
    $24,700
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Massage Therapy Certificate at Lake Land College

  • Massage therapy certificate or diplomaIn personPrerequisite courses

    Certificate/Massage Therapy

    Midwest Technical Institute

    Springfield

    Accredited school

    Prerequisite courses

    Midwest Technical Institute, SpringfieldMassage therapy certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolIn person · Prerequisite courses

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Certificate/Massage Therapy at Midwest Technical Institute
    More details about Certificate/Massage Therapy at Midwest Technical Institute
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    36 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Certificate/Massage Therapy at Midwest Technical Institute

  • Massage therapy certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed

    Massage Therapy Career and Technical Certificate

    Elgin Comm. College District #509

    Elgin

    Accredited school

    No diploma needed

    Elgin Comm. College District #509, ElginMassage therapy certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolIn person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Massage Therapy Career and Technical Certificate at Elgin Comm. College District #509
    More details about Massage Therapy Career and Technical Certificate at Elgin Comm. College District #509
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    48 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Massage Therapy Career and Technical Certificate at Elgin Comm. College District #509

  • Massage therapy certificate or diplomaHybridEducation and courses

    Massage Therapy Certificate

    Rock Valley College

    Rockford

    Accredited school

    Education and courses

    Rock Valley College, RockfordMassage therapy certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolHybrid · Education and courses

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Massage Therapy Certificate at Rock Valley College
    More details about Massage Therapy Certificate at Rock Valley College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    26 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Massage Therapy Certificate at Rock Valley College

  • Massage therapy certificate or diplomaIn personEducation and courses

    Massage Therapy Certificate of Achievement

    Waubonsee Community College

    Sugar Grove

    Accredited school

    Education and courses

    Waubonsee Community College, Sugar GroveMassage therapy certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolIn person · Education and courses

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Massage Therapy Certificate of Achievement at Waubonsee Community College
    More details about Massage Therapy Certificate of Achievement at Waubonsee Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    32 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Massage Therapy Certificate of Achievement at Waubonsee Community College

  • Massage therapy certificate or diplomaHybridEducation and courses

    Massage Therapy Licensure Program

    College Of DuPage

    Glen Ellyn

    Accredited school

    Education and courses

    College Of DuPage, Glen EllynMassage therapy certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolHybrid · Education and courses

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Massage Therapy Licensure Program at College Of DuPage
    More details about Massage Therapy Licensure Program at College Of DuPage
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    48 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Massage Therapy Licensure Program at College Of DuPage

  • Massage therapy certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Massage Therapy Program

    Lincoln Land Community College

    Springfield

    Accredited school

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Lincoln Land Community College, SpringfieldMassage therapy certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Massage Therapy Program at Lincoln Land Community College
    More details about Massage Therapy Program at Lincoln Land Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    46 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Massage Therapy Program at Lincoln Land Community College

  • Massage therapy certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Massage and Bodywork Diploma Program

    New School for Massage

    Tinley Park

    High school diploma or equivalent

    New School for Massage, Tinley ParkMassage therapy certificate or diplomaIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Massage and Bodywork Diploma Program at New School for Massage
    More details about Massage and Bodywork Diploma Program at New School for Massage
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    50 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Massage and Bodywork Diploma Program at New School for Massage

  • Massage therapy certificate or diplomaHybridNo diploma needed

    Therapeutic Massage Certificate

    Kishwaukee College

    Malta

    Accredited school

    No diploma needed

    Kishwaukee College, MaltaMassage therapy certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolHybrid · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Therapeutic Massage Certificate at Kishwaukee College
    More details about Therapeutic Massage Certificate at Kishwaukee College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    36 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Therapeutic Massage Certificate at Kishwaukee College

How to pay for massage therapy school in Illinois

WIOA funding can pay for massage therapy school in Illinois

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for massage therapy school

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.78

GI Bill for massage therapy school

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.9

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Massage therapy school in Chicago, Springfield, Charleston and other Illinois cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above.

Other training in Illinois

How massage therapy school compares with the rest of allied health: Allied health programs in Illinois

Where the Illinois massage therapy program numbers come from

Which Illinois massage therapy programs are on this list?

These are the massage therapy programs Illinois approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).10 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Illinois offers.

How the prices and results of Illinois massage therapy programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

How reliable are the Illinois figures?

The US Department of Labor's own results site lists Illinois among the states with "known data quality concerns".11 We leave out the share who finished for Illinois: only a few programs report it, and those at a typical 11%. We leave out prices for Illinois: the state files a code in place of each price, so no price can be shown.

Sources for the facts about massage therapy school in Illinois

Show the 11 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Massage Therapists
  2. Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards: Examination (MBLEx)
  3. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  4. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  5. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  6. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  8. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  9. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  10. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List
  11. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: search page, note on states with known data quality concerns