2025 Best Respiratory Care Therapy Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

Respiratory Care Therapy is of the hottest associate degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #31 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 9 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Respiratory Care Therapy Associate Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 144 associate degrees in respiratory care therapy to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Respiratory Care Therapy School for Your Associate Degree

Your choice of respiratory care therapy for getting your associate degree school matters. Important measures of a quality respiratory care therapy/therapist program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to respiratory care therapy students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of respiratory care therapy students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized respiratory care therapy related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for respiratory care therapy students working on their associate degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Respiratory Care Therapy Associate Degree Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Respiratory Care Therapy in Illinois

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in respiratory care therapy.

Top Illinois Schools for an Associate in Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist

1

College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

25 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in an associate degree in respiratory care therapy needs to look into College of DuPage. Located in the large suburb of Glen Ellyn, COD is a public college with a very large student population.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from College of DuPage

2

City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College
Chicago, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

21 Annual Graduates

City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting an associate degree in respiratory care therapy. Malcolm X College is a medium-sized public college located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College

3

Southwestern Illinois College
Belleville, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

12 Annual Graduates

Southwestern Illinois College is a wonderful option for individuals pursuing an associate degree in respiratory care therapy. Located in the large suburb of Belleville, SWIC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from Southwestern Illinois College

4

Illinois Central College
East Peoria, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

14 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in respiratory care therapy needs to take a look at Illinois Central College. ICC is a moderately-sized public college located in the suburb of East Peoria.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from Illinois Central College

5

Parkland College
Champaign, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

6 Annual Graduates

Parkland College is a medium-sized public college located in the city of Champaign.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from Parkland College

6

Moraine Valley Community College
Palos Hills, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

13 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Palos Hills, MVCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from Moraine Valley Community College

7

Kankakee Community College
Kankakee, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

8 Annual Graduates

Kankakee Community College is a small public college located in the small city of Kankakee.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from Kankakee Community College

8

Kaskaskia College
Centralia, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

6 Annual Graduates

Kaskaskia College is a small public college located in the rural area of Centralia.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from Kaskaskia College

9

Rock Valley College
Rockford, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

11 Annual Graduates

Rock Valley College is a medium-sized public college located in the city of Rockford.More information about a associate in respiratory care therapy from Rock Valley College

Best Respiratory Care Therapy Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Respiratory Care Therapy Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Ohio	450	167
Michigan	410	138
Wisconsin	224	105
Indiana	221	132

View All Rankings >

Rankings in Majors Related to Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist

Respiratory Care Therapy is one of 23 different types of Allied Health Professions programs to choose from.

Most Popular Majors Related to Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Radiologic Technology	367
Surgical Technology	192
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapy	104
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)	93
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician	78
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist	34
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology	27
Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist	4
Polysomnography	4

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard). More about our data sources and methodologies.