City Colleges of Chicago Fall Enrollment Grows for Fourth Straight Year, Driven by Gains in Credit Enrollment

 CHICAGO – (November 6, 2025) – For the fourth straight year, City Colleges of Chicago has made gains in fall headcount enrollment, exceeding pre-pandemic enrollment.  Fall enrollment of 44,296 students in credit and adult education programs combined represents an increase of 3.6% over the prior fall, according to the Illinois Community College Board.

The 3.6% increase is on par with the state average of +3.7% and is driven by a 6.6% increase in credit enrollment (compared to a state increase of 5%), and a –6.2% change in adult education enrollment, less than the state-wide change of -6.9%.

Credit enrollment increased at five of City Colleges’ seven colleges: Harry S Truman (+19%), Kennedy-King (+17%), Malcolm X (+10%), Richard J. Daley (+4%), Harold Washington (+2), Wilbur Wright (-1%) and Olive-Harvey (-1.6%).

Since the pandemic (Fall 2021), credit enrollment is up for Black male students (+41%), Black female students (+37%), Latine male students (+35%) and Latine female students (+24%).

Overall, City Colleges combined credit and adult education enrollment is up 36% since the pandemic (Fall 2021), nearly double the Illinois community college average of +19% over the same period.

“The growth we’re seeing in overall enrollment means more Chicagoans trust City Colleges to help them reach their goals. Academic excellence, in-demand programs, unparalleled student supports and powerful partnerships make City Colleges a first choice for Chicagoans seeking upward mobility and help contribute to a thriving Chicago economy,” said Chancellor Juan Salgado, City Colleges of Chicago.

City Colleges of Chicago’s efforts to build community, create safe spaces and remove barriers have continued to make an impact on enrollment and include these additional supports and offerings:

• The Chicago Roadmap, an unprecedented partnership between Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and CCC, creating a seamless transition for CPS students to post-secondary options
• A new student advising strategy that helped grow term to term retention
• Expanded in-person and flexible scheduling to match student preferences
• Sustained increase in marketing investment supporting all colleges
• Continued improvements to enrollment and student operations
• Scholarships that remove the barrier of cost:
  • Future Ready: helps eligible Chicagoans earn short-term credentials and prepare for in-demand careers at no cost.
  • The Star Scholarship program: has ensured that thousands of Chicago high school graduates with at least a B average can attend college without taking on significant debt.
  • Workforce Empowerment Initiative and many other scholarships, waivers, and grants that are also available to students to reduce the barrier of cost.

City Colleges of Chicago offers high-quality and affordable education that meets students where they are, academically, personally, and financially. City Colleges provides pathways for students from all backgrounds that include first-generation college students, working adults, parenting students, those seeking to launch a career or make a career change and those planning to transfer to four-year universities.

Registration for winter 2025 and spring 2026 classes is open now. Visit www.ccc.edu to learn more or call 773-COLLEGE. City Colleges of Chicago is the city’s most accessible higher education engine of socioeconomic mobility — empowering all Chicagoans to take part in building a stronger and more just city. Learn more about City Colleges of Chicago at www.ccc.edu. 

To view the full Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) report, click here.

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