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Illinois Eastern Community Colleges is celebrating historic success in its health professions programs, reporting the highest-ever NCLEX pass rate in district history and a perfect registry pass rate in radiography.
For the 2025 cohort, IECC nursing students achieved a 98% pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), surpassing the national average of 87%. Within the district, individual campus results were equally impressive: Frontier Community College at 94% and Lincoln Trail College, Olney Central College, and Wabash Valley College each recording 100% pass rates.
“Our commitment to a student-centered environment has guided every decision within our nursing program,” said Dr. Alani Frederick, IECC Dean of Health Professions. “We continually evaluate our curriculum, teaching methods, and clinical experiences to ensure students have the best chance to obtain their RN license. The results speak for themselves.”
Dr. Frederick emphasized that the achievement reflects the quality of instruction and support across the district. “These results reinforce that IECC faculty members provide an incredibly high-quality and meaningful educational experience. Our students are supported throughout their journey with dedicated program advisors, support specialists, and faculty devoted to the highest level of their craft.”
In addition to the nursing results, Olney Central College’s Radiography program reported a 100% registry pass rate for its 2025 cohort. The program also boasts a 100% employment rate for graduates.
“Radiography is an incredibly in-demand program at IECC, and for a great reason,” Frederick said. “Our students learn from faculty and local clinicians in a model that ensures they can easily earn their license. These results show our students are workforce-ready at graduation.”
According to Frederick, the success of IECC’s programs stems from a responsive and collaborative approach to education. “Our nursing faculty meet every semester to make curriculum edits, write classroom activities, discuss clinical experiences, and develop simulations. This verifies that student education is adjusted in real time to reflect changes seen in practice and in research,” she said.
These results directly benefit the local hospitals, clinics, and patients that IECC graduates go on to serve. “Our healthcare partners are able to hire fully licensed nurses who are confident and competent to begin caring for their local communities,” Frederick said. “This also allows our students to be confident that employment is available as soon as they license, allowing them to see the benefit of their education.”
Looking ahead, IECC intends to build on this momentum. “We anticipate continuing to provide a high-quality educational experience for students throughout our health professions programs,” Frederick said. “It is clear that rigor can be combined with a positive and supportive student experience. Students can choose IECC and be part of a growing, supportive environment and be more successful at obtaining their professional license than ever.”
Applications for IECC’s Nursing and Radiography programs will open this fall for a Fall 2026 start.
“Health professions programs at IECC are available to help students transition into professionals,” Frederick said. “Our results show that a positive, community-based program can provide quality, result-driven education. Prospective students should be encouraged that our local option is provided at such a high quality with such tremendous results.”