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City Colleges of Chicago’s Board of Trustees approves Tuition Equity Adjustment

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 New fairer, affordable tuition structure passed in response to feedback from students, faculty, and community. This step makes education more accessible for working students and families.

Chicago, IL – Following months of input from students, faculty, staff and community groups, the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) Board of Trustees today approved a proposal to institute a fair per-credit-hour rate for part-time students while maintaining the same competitive flat rate for full-time students.

The plan, which will take effect in the summer term, ensures a City Colleges education remains affordable and accessible to all students, with the overwhelming majority of students saving money or paying the same amount. Less than 5 percent of current City Colleges students are expected to see an increase in tuition under this plan.

The new structure is a hybrid model, which combines a per credit rate for part-time students, and a flat-rate for full-time students.  Under the plan, in-district students pay a single per-credit rate of $146 for up to 12 credits.  There is no additional cost for credits taken beyond 12 hours, so a full-time in-district student’s semester cost is capped at $1,752 – one dollar less than under the previous framework. The new structure reduces the cost to take a single 3-credit class by 25 percent.

City Colleges also remains the only community college system in the state that does not charge fees.

“This equity adjustment takes the best aspects of CCC’s tuition structure – like the capped tuition for full time students and no fees – and builds on these elements to ensure we continue to offer an excellent education at an unbeatable value for all students,” said City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Juan Salgado. “I want to thank our Board and also the students, faculty, staff, and community members who provided input that informed this change.”

“The tuition plan recognizes that we have many working students who need to attend college part-time, and it treats them fairly, charging them for the credits they take, no more, no less,” continued Chancellor Salgado.  “At the same time, the plan continues to support students seeking to attend full-time and complete more quickly.”

Aleli Vargas, a part-time child development student at Truman College, supports the change. “I’m taking three credits this semester, so I’d save more than $160 under the new plan,” noted Vargas. “It means a lot that CCC is mindful of part-time students like me.”