Chicago’s public two-year system is a district of seven separately named colleges, not one campus with seven buildings. That matters when choosing a program: culinary training, health simulations, transportation logistics and transfer-focused study are concentrated at different sites. The district began in 1911 as Crane Junior College and grew into today’s citywide network. A student can earn an associate degree or certificate, complete lower-division classes before transferring, or start with adult English and high-school-equivalency instruction.
What admission involves
Most applicants begin with the district’s online application, then complete placement or submit qualifying records so advisers can place them in English and math. Program prerequisites still apply, and selective health or technical tracks may require additional steps. The district accepts applications throughout the year, but course availability and start dates vary. Start an application and check the chosen college’s program page before arranging a visit.
How much does it cost?
For FY2027, the published base tuition is $163 per credit for Chicago residents, $429 for Illinois residents outside the district, and $538 for out-of-state and international students. Pre-credit courses are listed at half the corresponding hourly rate. These figures are tuition, not a complete bill: books, course fees and some specialized-program rates can change the total. A 15-credit semester at the standard in-district rate would be $2,445 before those additional charges. Residency depends on where a student lives and, in some cases, full-time work in Chicago; ask the registrar to determine the correct rate. See the current tuition schedule.
Financial aid and English study
Students can submit the FAFSA and apply for district and college scholarships. The Chicago Star Scholarship is a last-dollar tuition-and-books benefit for eligible recent graduates of Chicago Public Schools and certain partner high schools; applicants must meet its academic and aid-document requirements. It is not a general tuition waiver for every adult learner. Adults who want to build English before choosing a degree can enroll in free ESL classes through Adult Education. The program uses placement testing, accepts eligible Illinois residents without requiring a Social Security number, and offers in-person, online and hybrid formats. F-1 and J-1 visa holders are excluded from these Adult Education classes; credit-bearing study has separate admission and language-placement rules. Find English and high-school-equivalency options and financial-aid information.
Choose the campus around the program
Harold Washington is the Loop’s business, architecture and performing-arts college, close to downtown transit. Truman serves Uptown and combines adult education with education, science and health pathways. Kennedy-King anchors the South Side with culinary and hospitality training, construction programs and its student-operated Sikia restaurant. Malcolm X is the district’s health-care hub, with simulation facilities and a fitness center near the Illinois Medical District. Olive-Harvey focuses on transportation, distribution and logistics in the far Southeast. Daley specializes in manufacturing and engineering on the Southwest Side, while Wright pairs liberal arts with engineering and computer-science pathways in the Northwest. Each campus has its own profile below; use the address and program location in the current schedule, because a district-wide course search can list classes at more than one site.
Before submitting an application, compare a certificate’s length and credit value with an associate degree and the transfer plan you hope to follow. Confirm the class location, placement result, program prerequisites and full fees with the college. The district’s campus directory and adult-class location list help turn a broad search into a workable commute.
Check current details and choose according to your budget, time and way of travelling.
Options to compare
These options relate to the question. Read each profile and check current details before deciding.
Harold Washington College — Main Campus
30 E Lake St, Chicago, IL 60601
At 30 E Lake Street, Harold Washington College occupies an eleven-story building in the Loop, a few blocks from Millennium Station and the central business district. The college opened in this permanent location in 1983 after the city’s junior-college program had grown through several earlier sites.
Loop-based associate transfer programs and certificates in business, architecture, performing arts and liberal arts.
Harry S Truman College — Main Campus
1145 W Wilson Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
Truman College sits at 1145 W Wilson Avenue in Uptown, close to the Wilson CTA Red and Purple Line station and several north-side bus routes. The campus places a public college within a dense neighborhood of apartments, shops and cultural venues. Its main building has served the North Side since 197
Uptown campus with adult education, education, science, health and continuing-education options.
Kennedy-King College — Main Campus
6301 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60621
Kennedy-King’s main campus occupies a modern two-story complex at 6301 S Halsted Street on the South Side. The institution traces its roots to vocational programs founded in 1935 and took its present name in 1969; today it serves students seeking both transfer study and direct career preparation. CT
South Side culinary, hospitality, construction and workforce programs; Washburne Institute and Sikia student restaurant.
Malcolm X College — Main Campus
1900 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60612
Malcolm X College is at 1900 W Jackson Boulevard on the edge of the Illinois Medical District, west of downtown. Its current campus opened in 2016 and was planned around health-care education, with classrooms, laboratories and student services organized in a single urban complex. The college is a sh
Healthcare education hub with clinical simulation, nursing, allied health and emergency-response training.
Olive-Harvey College — Main Campus
10001 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL 60628
At 10001 S Woodlawn Avenue, Olive-Harvey is the district’s far-South-Side campus, with a broad site and a student population that includes recent high-school graduates and returning adults. The college’s South Side service area stretches across neighborhoods from Hegewisch and South Shore toward Pul
Far South Side hub for transportation, distribution and logistics, diesel technology and adult education.
Richard J. Daley College — Main Campus
7500 S Pulaski Rd, Chicago, IL 60652
Richard J. Daley College is located at 7500 S Pulaski Road on Chicago’s Southwest Side. The main campus is anchored by the Manufacturing Technology and Engineering Center, a purpose-built facility opened in 2019 to train students in advanced manufacturing. The center’s labs support areas such as rob
Manufacturing Technology and Engineering Center for robotics, CNC machining, mechatronics and industrial technology.
Wilbur Wright College — Main Campus
4300 N Narragansett Ave, Chicago, IL 60634
At 4300 N Narragansett Avenue, Wright College serves Chicago’s Northwest Side from a large campus that includes academic, recreation and student-service spaces. It is the district’s center for engineering and computer science, with pathways that range from foundational coursework to transfer study a
Northwest Side campus with engineering, computer science, transfer study, adult education and a Humboldt Park site.
Sources & references
Sources for the information and reporting discussed in this guide.
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Official website of Harold Washington College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Harold Washington College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Harold Washington College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Harold Washington College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Harry S Truman College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Harry S Truman College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Harry S Truman College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Harry S Truman College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Kennedy-King College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Kennedy-King College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Kennedy-King College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Kennedy-King College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Kennedy-King College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Malcolm X College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Malcolm X College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Malcolm X College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Malcolm X College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Malcolm X College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Malcolm X College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Olive-Harvey College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Olive-Harvey College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Olive-Harvey College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Olive-Harvey College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Olive-Harvey College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Richard J. Daley College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Richard J. Daley College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Richard J. Daley College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Richard J. Daley College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Wilbur Wright College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Wilbur Wright College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Wilbur Wright College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Wilbur Wright College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website of Wilbur Wright College — Main Campus ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.
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Official website ↗
Primary source
City Colleges of Chicago · Accessed October 27, 2026
Primary source for identity, concept, menu, and contact details.