The transformative Blackburn experience — our “four-year head start” program — begins the day you enter our Carlinville, Illinois campus. Because each student works 10 hours a week for the college for tuition credit, a comprehensive, liberal arts education is within reach for all of our students, many of whom come from underserved communities.

As part of one of the 10 programs in the nation recognized as “work colleges”, Blackburn students help plan, manage and run the facilities of an institution fully invested in them. This real-world work experience pays off with resumes that are attractive to employers across all fields.

Blackburn’s tuition is among the lowest of all private, four-year residential colleges in Illinois. We’ve integrated our Work Program into every aspect of our academics to flesh out an experience that combines instructional guidance and the honing of practical skills, producing the brightest possible future for each student.

At Blackburn, you’ll become a valued leader while enjoying a rich and joyful college life. You’ll build relationships in the classroom. Everyone’s working together and invested in the success of the college. True collaboration shapes the academic culture as well as the campus community.

The impact of Blackburn College will carry far into your future.

About Blackburn College

There is no other college or university in the United States quite like Blackburn College. Our unique campus culture is the byproduct of the purposeful melding of our nationally acclaimed student-managed Work Program and rigorous liberal arts academic curriculum. The result is a unique living laboratory for learning where the boundaries between job and classroom are blurred, and mentoring from faculty and staff knows no clock.

Mission Statement

Blackburn College links a rigorous and affordable liberal arts education with a unique student-managed Work Program preparing graduates for careers, community engagement, and lifelong learning. The Blackburn community values critical and independent thinking, leadership development, diversity and inclusion, service, shared governance, and moral responsibility.