Public · Community college

City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College

Chicago, Illinois · Large city

13%
Transfer rate: $7,397
Avg net price: 26%
Grad / completion: $36,531
Median earnings

City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College is a public associate-granting institution in Chicago, Illinois (large city setting), enrolling 4,207 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 4,207 undergradsLarge cityCold wintersSnowy

About Chicago, Illinois

Chicago is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. The first known permanent settler in Chicago was a trader, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. Du Sable was of African descent, perhaps born in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (Haiti), and he established the settlement in the 1780s. He is commonly known as the "Founder of Chicago". Chicago has the third-largest gross metropolitan product in the United States—about $670.5 billion according to September 2017 estimates. The city has also been rated as having the most balanced economy in the United States, due to its high level of diversification. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Large city
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 1 mile to Chicago, IL
To Great Lakes shore: 1 mile
Nearest airport: 9 miles to Chicago Midway (MDW) · major hub

How City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College compares

Graduation rate26%

Higher than 9% · #114 of 122 in Illinois

First-year retention59%

Higher than 21%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$36,531

Higher than 54% · #51 of 113 in Illinois

Average net price$7,397

Cheaper than 81% · #31 cheapest of 123 in Illinois

Median debt at graduation$5,750

Lower than 95%

Student–faculty ratio20 : 1

Lower than 29%

Undergraduate enrollment4,207

Larger than 90%

Percentiles compare City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Illinois.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women2,38657%
Men1,82143%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White11%
Black27%
Hispanic48%
Asian6.4%
Other or multiracial7.3%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 4,207
Student–faculty ratio: 20 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 36%
First-generation students: 55%
Students over 25: 25%
Median family income: $18,168
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $118,197

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 779 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Illinois98%
International1.9%

Most first-years stay in state — City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College draws overwhelmingly from Illinois.

2% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition: $4,590
Out-of-state tuition: $15,150
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,920
Total cost of attendance: $14,726
Average net price: $7,397

Outcomes

Graduated: 26%
First-year retention: 59%
Transferred to another college: 13%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $29,483
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $36,531
Median debt at graduation: $5,750
Students with federal loans: 2%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 19%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

26%

Low-income (Pell)

18%

First-generation

18%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: Free

Campus safety

Safety grade: B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 2
Property offenses (2022–2024): 11

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

4.3reported offenses a year

0.7 violent a year3.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft

3.7

Robbery

0.3

Aggravated assault

0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k

$6,911

$30–48k

$6,728

$48–75k

$9,347

$75–110k

$9,922

$110k+

$11,657

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

19%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$2,069

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 19% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,069. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 560 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years): $36,531
Typical debt at graduation: $5,750
Debt vs. one year's pay: 16%
Out-earn a HS grad: 34%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women

$34,670

Men

$39,073

Men out-earn women by $4,403 (13%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high: 81°F
Winter low: 20°F
Annual rain: 34.4″
Annual snow: 38.8″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Chicago Northerly IS, IL US station (2.3 mi from campus).

What City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

783 grads$29k 1 yr$44k 5 yr$8k debt

783$29,168$43,880$8,100 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCert.

422 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr$18k debt

422——$17,750 Biological and Physical SciencesAssoc.

167 grads$27k 1 yr— 5 yr$9k debt

167$27,451—$8,750 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCert.

83 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

83———Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/TechniciansCert.

69 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

69———Accounting and Related ServicesCert.

46 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

46———Graphic CommunicationsCert.

18 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

18———Architectural Sciences and TechnologyAssoc.

16 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

16———Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesAssoc.

12 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

12———Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementCert.

8 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

8———Fine and Studio ArtsAssoc.

8 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

8———Computer ProgrammingCert.

7 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

7———

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College side by side →

Parkland College

Public

Champaign, Illinois · Small city · 76 mi to Springfield

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Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 26%
Earnings: $38k

City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College

Public

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Transfer: 11%
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City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College

Public

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Students: 2,505
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 17%
Earnings: $36k

Black Hawk College

Public

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Students: 2,354
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 19%
Earnings: $37k

Southwestern Illinois College

Public

Belleville, Illinois · Large suburb · 17 mi to St. Louis

Students: 5,675
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 17%
Earnings: $37k

Rock Valley College

Public

Rockford, Illinois · Midsize city · 6 mi to Rockford

Students: 4,359
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 16%
Earnings: $39k

Colleges near City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College

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< 1 mi

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< 1 mi

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< 1 mi

Midwestern Career College

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< 1 mi

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< 1 mi

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.