City Colleges of Chicago Outperforms the State and National Averages for Fall Enrollment

City Colleges of Chicago Outperforms the State and National Averages for Fall Enrollment

CHICAGO – City Colleges of Chicago (CCC)’s fall 2022
enrollment is up 6.9 percent year over year, exceeding the
Illinois community college average of +1.5% and the national
average (flat), according to a report published Friday by the
Illinois Community College Board.

Enrollment in a combination of credit and adult education
programs has increased at six of its colleges: Harry S Truman
(+11.5%), Kennedy-King (+17.4%), Malcolm X (+11.6%),
Olive-Harvey (+14.8%), Richard J. Daley (+5.5%), and Wilbur
Wright (+3.6%). The number of Adult Education students
alone grew by 16.6 percent – an increase of 1,098 students –
from fall 2021.

The increase in enrollment comes after City Colleges
has embarked on targeted efforts to enhance and expand
college resources and offerings in recent years, especially in
the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The seven City
Colleges are meeting the needs of the Chicago economy with
quality, in-demand programs in transportation, distribution and
logistics, cannabis studies, manufacturing, IT, early childhood
education, engineering, healthcare, and more. City Colleges
launched Future Ready in 2021 to help eligible Chicagoans
gain credentials and prepare for in-demand careers in many of
those industries at no cost.

Additionally, opportunities such as the Star Scholarship
have been strengthened to ensure that high-achieving students
can attend college even if they cannot afford it. This year’s
class of Star Scholars was the largest awarded and enrolled
to date, with 1,597 students attending all seven colleges. The
scholarship is one of many opportunities offered through the
Chicago Roadmap, an unprecedented partnership between
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and City Colleges of Chicago
launched in 2020 to create a seamless transition for CPS
students to post-secondary options. CCC also offers Workforce
Equity Initiatives and makes many scholarships, waivers, and
grants available to students to help them attend college.

The positive enrollment numbers in Adult Education
reflect the strong leadership and determined students in the
program, which offers free English as a Second Language and
high school diploma preparation classes. The Adult Education
Department has been focused on strengthening community
partnerships, linking adult learners to career pathways, and
expanding its reach to help more students reach their goals.

Through enrollment management and strategic marketing
efforts, City Colleges is making a concerted effort to educate
the public on all the community college system has to offer,
including in-demand, high-growth career pathways, transfer
options for students who want to earn a bachelor’s degree, and
supports for adult learners looking to return to the classroom.

Like the national trend, City Colleges of Chicago was not
immune to the effects of the pandemic and saw an 8.6% drop
in fall 2021 enrollment. Although still in a state of recovery
after the height of the 2020 pandemic, City Colleges of
Chicago’s efforts to remove barriers, offer unique educational
pathways, and create access are bringing back students to its
colleges.

To view the full ICCB report, click here. For more report
information visit ICCB, http://www2.iccb.org/data/studies-reports/
student-reports.

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