Public · Community college

City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College

Chicago, Illinois · Large city

15%
Transfer rate
$6,375
Avg net price
31%
Grad / completion
$41,625
Median earnings

City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College is a public associate-granting institution in Chicago, Illinois (large city setting), enrolling 4,372 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 4,372 undergradsLarge cityNJCAA Division ICold 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
10 miles to Chicago, IL
To Great Lakes shore
7 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Chicago O'Hare (ORD) · major hub

How City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College compares

Graduation rate31%

Higher than 14% · #109 of 122 in Illinois

First-year retention72%

Higher than 49%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,625

Higher than 75% · #24 of 113 in Illinois

Average net price$6,375

Cheaper than 85% · #25 cheapest of 123 in Illinois

Median debt at graduation$6,500

Lower than 86%

Student–faculty ratio28 : 1

Lower than 7%

Undergraduate enrollment4,372

Larger than 90%

Percentiles compare City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright 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

4,372undergrads
  • Women2,42655%
  • Men1,94645%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White18%
  • Black7.3%
  • Hispanic63%
  • Asian6.6%
  • Other or multiracial5.5%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,372
Student–faculty ratio
28 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
26%
First-generation students
57%
Students over 25
40%
Median family income
$21,884
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$120,879

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 1,096 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Illinois99%
  • International0.5%

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

1% 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
$13,762
Average net price
$6,375

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated
31%
First-year retention
72%
Transferred to another college
15%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$33,808
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$41,625
Median debt at graduation
$6,500
Students with federal loans
1%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
39%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
31%
Low-income (Pell)
26%
First-generation
26%

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
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
62 (38 men · 24 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (3)

Basketball27
Soccer25
Volleyball10

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (7,798 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

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

1.3reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
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
$5,645
$30–48k
$5,916
$48–75k
$7,930
$75–110k
$9,691
$110k+

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.

36%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,048
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 36% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,048. 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 737 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)
$41,625
Typical debt at graduation
$6,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
16%
Out-earn a HS grad
43%

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
$39,672
Men
$45,844

Men out-earn women by $6,172 (16%) 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
84°F
Winter low
19°F
Annual rain
37.9″
Annual snow
38.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Chicago Ohare Intl AP, IL US station (7.9 mi from campus).

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-Wilbur Wright College

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

Colleges near City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College

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.