Institutional Research & Effectiveness

Joliet Junior College's Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness maintains the integrity and consistency of all JJC data. Data collected and reported by the OIRE covers virtually every aspect of the college, including data and information about admissions, registration, employees, and district communities. Data reporting is mandated by state and federal agencies. OIRE is responsible for ensuring data and information reporting requirements to external entities are met.

OIRE follows the Association of Institutional Research's Statement of Ethical Principles.

Quality through Accreditation and Recognition

For students to receive federal student aid, JJC must be accredited by a “nationally recognized” accreditor, be authorized/recognized by the state, and receive approval from the U. S. Department of Education.

Accreditation indicates that an institution maintains standards requisite for its graduates to gain admission to other reputable institutions of higher learning or to achieve credentials for professional practice. The goal of accreditation is to ensure the education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality and public accountability. There are two basic types of educational accreditation, one is “institutional” and the other is “specialized” or “programmatic.”

Recognition describes the status of the college relative to the academic, student support, financial, facility, and reporting standards of the Illinois Community College Board. 

Consumer Information

In the spirit of transparency, Joliet Junior College provides the following information of interest to consumers.

Net Price Calculator - Institutional data is used to estimate net price of college based on a student's individual circumstances.
Student Outcomes - Information regarding our institution's graduation/completion and transfer-out rates.

Institutional Effectiveness

Institutional effectiveness involves the entire institution in the evaluation of the College's performance in achieving its mission and goals and assisting in the continuous improvement of its programs and services.

Annual Program Update (APU) - An annual report by each program of performance during the prior year, a situational analysis, and an action plan with a proposal for resources for the upcoming year.
Program Review - A self-study conducted every five years by each program to evaluate their response to the needs of the district, cost effectiveness, and program quality in order to plan future improvements. Program reviews are submitted to the Illinois Community College Board.
Strategic Plan - An organizational management activity to set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations, ensure that employees and other stakeholders are working toward common goals, establish agreement around intended outcomes/results, and assess and adjust the organization's direction in response to a changing environment.