Police academy in Illinois

4 police and corrections programs with results and funding that can make them free

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

Police officers protect lives and property. Applicants need at least a high school diploma, though some departments and federal agencies ask for college classes or a degree, and they usually must be 21 and meet strict physical and personal standards; most then graduate from their agency's training academy and train on the job.¹

In Illinois, 1 of the 4 programs takes students without a high school diploma, 2 ask for a diploma or equivalent and 1 asks for earlier courses first.

All 4 are the same kind of program: law enforcement certificate.

See the 4 programs

How much does police academy 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 4 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: Not enough data; 4 programs report it; a typical figure needs 5

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 police academy training. How these figures are made

Is there free police academy training in Illinois?

Yes, if you qualify. WIOA (public workforce funding) can pay for any program on this page, in full or in part, depending on local limits.²³⁴
Ask an American Job Center whether you qualify, or call 1-877-872-5627.⁵ Before funding training, the center goes through an assessment and a career plan with you.⁴
Or pay yourself. Usable prices are not reported for these programs.

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

All 4 police and corrections programs in Illinois approved for WIOA funding

4 programs

Law enforcement certificateIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Law Enforcement Advanced Certificate
Kankakee Community College
Kankakee
Accredited school
High school diploma or equivalent
Kankakee Community College, KankakeeLaw enforcement certificate · Accredited schoolIn person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$33,800
Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
Program website, Law Enforcement Advanced Certificate at Kankakee Community College
More details about Law Enforcement Advanced Certificate at Kankakee Community College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
76%
Earned in a quarter
$8,443
Length
32 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
Not reported
Students counted
40
Earned a year, estimated
$33,800
Price if you pay yourself
Left out
Program website, Law Enforcement Advanced Certificate at Kankakee Community College
Law enforcement certificateIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Law Enforcement Basic Principles Certificate
Kankakee Community College
Kankakee
Accredited school
High school diploma or equivalent
Kankakee Community College, KankakeeLaw enforcement certificate · Accredited schoolIn person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
Program website, Law Enforcement Basic Principles Certificate at Kankakee Community College
More details about Law Enforcement Basic Principles Certificate at Kankakee Community College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
16 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, Law Enforcement Basic Principles Certificate at Kankakee Community College
Law enforcement certificateIn personPrerequisite courses
Police and Corrections Certificate
Rend Lake College
Ina
Accredited school
Prerequisite courses
Rend Lake College, InaLaw enforcement certificate · Accredited schoolIn person · Prerequisite courses
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
Program website, Police and Corrections Certificate at Rend Lake College
More details about Police and Corrections Certificate at Rend Lake 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, Police and Corrections Certificate at Rend Lake College
Law enforcement certificateHybridNo diploma needed
Policing Certificate
McHenry County College
Crystal Lake
Accredited school
No diploma needed
McHenry County College, Crystal LakeLaw enforcement certificate · Accredited schoolHybrid · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
Program website, Policing Certificate at McHenry County College
More details about Policing Certificate at McHenry County College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
16 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, Policing Certificate at McHenry County College

How to pay for police academy training in Illinois

WIOA funding can pay for police academy training 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 police academy training

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.⁶⁷

GI Bill for police academy training

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.⁸

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

Police academy in Kankakee, Mount Vernon, Chicago and other Illinois cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above.

Other training in Illinois

How police academy training compares with the rest of public safety: First responder training in Illinois

Where the Illinois law enforcement program numbers come from

Which Illinois law enforcement programs are on this list?

These are the law enforcement 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).⁹ 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 law enforcement 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".¹⁰ 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 police academy training in Illinois

Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources

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