Chicagoans Can Save Nearly $40K by Completing the First Two Years of a Bachelor’s Degree at City Colleges of Chicago


New online Tuition Calculator offers parents and students ability to compare cost of attending a four-year college for the full four years

CHICAGO–Attending a community college can save students thousands of dollars towards a four-year degree – and now a tool is available that helps parents and students easily estimate the tuition cost savings. The City Colleges of Chicago’s new Tuition Calculator, available online at: www.ccc.edu/yousave, offers parents and students the ability to compare the cost of attending a four-year college for the full four years with the cost of attending City Colleges for two years, then completing their degree at one of more than 2,600 four-year colleges across the country.

Chicago-area students who spend their first two years at City Colleges can save an average of $10,018 on the cost of a bachelor’s degree at a public Illinois university and an average of $37,216 on the cost of a bachelor’s degree from an Illinois private university. The cost savings can be thousands of dollars higher for some Illinois institutions as well as out-of-state public and private four-year institutions. For example, students can save $78,366 compared to spending all four years at a top private university in Illinois.

“Students can drastically cut down on the cost of college by attending a quality associate degree program at a community college, then transferring to a four-year college to complete their bachelor’s degree,” said Cheryl Hyman, chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago. “At City Colleges, we offer similar coursework to four-year institutions at an affordable cost. Many of our students work their way through college or receive grants to cover the cost of their courses, without ever taking out a student loan.”

Graduates of bachelor’s degree programs in the U.S. left college with an average of $29,400 in student loan debt in 2012, according to a recent study by The Institute for College Access & Success. As costs of four-year programs continue to climb, City Colleges offers an affordable solution to keeping college costs down while ensuring students receive a quality education. The average cost of a two-year associate degree at City Colleges of Chicago is $6,200, although specific programs may vary. That means, on average, students who complete those first two years at City Colleges, earning an associate degree, can save tens of thousands of dollars on their bachelor’s degree.

Many City Colleges courses are transferable to four year colleges. In fact, courses labeled “IAI” in the City Colleges academic catalog have been approved by the Illinois Articulation Initiative and will transfer to the more than 100 Illinois colleges and universities participating in IAI.

In addition, City Colleges’ College to Careers program prepares students for the more than 500,000 jobs coming to the Chicago region in fast-growing fields, including: health sciences (Malcolm X College), business and professional services (Harold Washington College), advanced manufacturing (Daley College), culinary/hospitality (Kennedy-King College), information technology (Wright College), and transportation/distribution/logistics (Olive-Harvey College). These programs also offer transfer pathways to further education.

City Colleges of Chicago offers quality, affordable certificate and associate degree programs including:
• Associate of arts (A.A.) and associate of science (A.S.) degrees that transfer to four-year colleges and universities.
• Associate of applied science degrees (A.A.S.) and certificates that prepare students to immediately enter the workforce in high-demand careers.
o Degree programs range from nursing to culinary arts, from biology to computer information systems.
o Certificate programs include business administration, pharmacy tech, supply chain management and more.

Now is the time to register for Spring 2014 courses at all seven City Colleges of Chicago. To begin the registration process, call 773-COLLEGE or visit www.ccc.edu. You can visit CCC’s Tuition Calculator at www.ccc.edu/yousave

Note: Tuition costs are based on the 2011-2012 annual full-time undergraduate tuition reported by each higher education institution to the U.S. Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The tuition rates reported in the CCC Tuition Calculator do not include application fees, textbooks, room and board or other associated expenses which will likely increase a student’s overall education costs. City Colleges’ associate degree programs can transfer up to two full years of courses and credits to any 4-year institution.

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