City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College

30 E Lake St
Chicago, IL 60601
Top Ranked (2024): View Rankings
  • Harold Washington College is a learning-centered urban institution of higher education that offers accessible and affordable opportunities for academic advancement, career development, and personal enrichment. The College is committed to upholding high institutional and academic standards and to understanding and improving student learning.

School Highlights

City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College serves 6,479 students (42% of students are full-time).
The college's student:teacher ratio of 16:1 is higher than the state community college average of 12:1.
Minority enrollment is 88% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is more than the state average of 47%.

Quick Stats (2024)

  • Enrollment: 6,479 students
  • In-state tuition: $6,460
  • Out-state tuition: $7,891
  • Student:teacher ratio: 16:1
  • Minority enrollment: 88%
  • Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

Top Rankings

City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College ranks among the top 20% of public schools in Illinois for:

School Overview

The teacher population of 399 teachers has stayed relatively flat over five years.
City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College
(IL) Community College Avg.
Carnegie Classification
Associates Colleges
Associates Colleges
Institution Level
At least 2 but less than 4 years
At least 2 but less than 4 years
Institution Control
Public
Public
Total Faculty
399 staff
239 staff
This chart display total faculty of City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and community college average number of faculty in IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Student Body

The student population of City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College has declined by 10% over five years.
The student:teacher ratio of 16:1 has decreased from 18:1 over five years.
The City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College diversity score of 0.64 is equal to the state average of 0.64. The school's diversity has declined by 6% over five years.
Total Enrollment
6,479 students
2,581 students
This chart display the total enrollment of City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and community college average number of enrollment of IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Student : Teacher Ratio
16:1
12:1
This chart display the student staff ratio of City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and community college average student staff ratio of IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
# Full-Time Students
2,737 students
898 students
This chart display the total number of Full-time students enrollment of City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and average number of community college Full-time students enrollment of IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
# Part-Time Students
3,742 students
1,683 students
This chart display the total number of Part-time students enrollment of City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and average number of community college Part-time students enrollment of IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
This chart display the Full-time students and Part-time students enrollment breakdown of City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College.
This chart display community college average Full-Time students and Part-Time students enrollment breakdown of IL.
# Enrollment Undergraduate
526 students
40 students
# Full-Time Undergraduate Students
2,737 students
944 students
This chart display the total number of Full-time undergraduate students enrollment of City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and average number of community college Full-time undergraduate  students enrollment of IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
# Full-Time Graduate Students
n/a
22 students
# Part-Time Undergraduate Students
3,742 students
1,683 students
# Part-Time Graduate Students
n/a
10 students
Total Dormitory Capacity
n/a
132 students
% Asian
7%
5%
This chart display the percentage of Asian students in City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and the percentage of Asian community college students in IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
% Hispanic
54%
24%
This chart display the percentage of Hispanic students in City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and the percentage of Hispanic community college students in IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
% Black
22%
12%
This chart display the percentage of Black students in City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and the percentage of Black community college students in IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
% White
12%
53%
This chart display the percentage of White students in City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and the percentage of White community college students in IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
% Two or more races
2%
3%
This chart display the percentage of Two or more races students in City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and the percentage of Two or more races community college students in IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
% Non Resident races
2%
1%
This chart display the percentage of Non Resident students in City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and the percentage of Non Resident community college students in IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
% Unknown races
n/a
2%
This chart display the percentage breakdown of students of all ethnic groups in City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College.
This chart display the percentage breakdown of students of all ethnic groups in IL.
Diversity Score
0.64
0.64
This chart display the diversity score of City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and the community college average diversity score of IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
College Completion Rate (Students who graduate in less than 4 years)
21%
36%
This chart display completion rates for First-Time of Full-time students of City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and community college average completion rates for First-Time of Full-time students of IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
College Completion Rate (Students who graduate in 4 years or more than 4 years)
n/a
1.54%
Average Graduate Earnings (10 Years)
$28,900
$31,800
This chart display average graduate earnings (10 Years) of City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and community college average graduate earnings (10 Years) of IL by year, disaggregated by student subgroups with the latest 2012-13 school year data.

Tuition and Acceptance Rate

The public in-state tuition of $6,460 is less than the state average of $8,163. The in-state tuition has declined by 20% over four years.
The public out-state tuition of $7,891 is less than the state average of $10,824. The out-state tuition has declined by 33% over four years.
In-State Tuition Fees
$6,460
$8,163
This chart display tuition fees for an in-state student of City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and the public community college average tuition fees for an in-state student of IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Out-State Tuition Fees
$7,891
$10,824
This chart display tuition fees for an out-of-state student of City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and the public community college average tuition fees for an out-of-state student of IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
% Students Receiving Some Financial Aid
77%
81%
This chart display the percent of students who is receiving some financial aid in City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and the percent of community college students who is receiving some financial aid in IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Median Debt for Graduates
$5,250
$8,029
This chart display median debt for students who have completed a certificate or degree in City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and average median debt for community college students who have completed a certificate or degree in IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Median Debt for Dropouts
$3,750
$4,600
This chart display median debt for students who have not completed a certificate or degree in City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College and average median debt for community college students who have not completed a certificate or degree in IL by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Acceptance Rate
n/a
89%
SAT Reading
n/a
390
SAT Math
n/a
360
SAT Writing
n/a
355
ACT Composite
n/a
17
ACT English
n/a
17
ACT Math
n/a
17
Source: 2021 (or latest year available) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

School Notes

  • Harold Washington College was founded in 1962 as Loop College, and was placed in the heart of the downtown business district to serve Chicago's business community through a broad spectrum of courses, two-year degrees, and certificate programs. Some of the academic programs that were offered during this period included business, data processing, and various course options within the human services profession. In 1987, the college's name was changed to commemorate Chicago's late Mayor Harold Washington. From its beginning, this has been a comprehensive college, offering students the traditional transfer-oriented liberal arts and sciences curricula as well as career and vocational programs. Today's student body displays a diverse mix of cultures, backgrounds, purposes and academic interests. Enrolling from throughout the city and throughout the world (almost fifty countries), Harold Washington College students are attracted by the combination of central location, high quality instruction, flexible class scheduling, wide-ranging course offerings, reasonable tuition rates and state-of-the-art educational facilities and equipment. At Harold Washington College each academic department's facilities reflect state-of-the-art modernity, from Chemistry's spectrophotometers and Information Technology's microcomputers to Architecture & Engineering's Computer-Assisted-Design systems, the Foreign Language laboratory's taped program library, and state of the art computers and software. In addition to more than 55,000 books, the Library and Learning Resource Center has a media-production room with audio/video tape facilities, and student carrels with television receivers, audio/video tape recorders, phonographs and slide viewers. The entire building at Harold Washington College is fully accessible to the disabled. HWC is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a Member of the North Central Association.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College cost?
City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College's tuition is approximately $6,460 for In-State students and $7,891 for Out-State students.
What is City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College's ranking?
City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College ranks among the top 20% of community college in Illinois for: Least expensive tuition, Average community college minority breakdown and Least debt for graduating students.

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Quick Stats (2024)

  • Enrollment: 6,479 students
  • In-state tuition: $6,460
  • Out-state tuition: $7,891
  • Student:teacher ratio: 16:1
  • Minority enrollment: 88%
  • Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

Did You Know?

For Cook County, IL public community colleges, the average tuition is approximately $8,645 per year for in-state students and $9,960 for out-of-state students. For private community colleges, the average yearly tuition is approximately $13,659 per year. Read more about average community college tuition costs across the country.

The average community college acceptance rate in Cook County, IL is 75%. Read more about national community college acceptance rates.

Cook County, IL community colleges have a diversity score of 0.60, which is lower than the national average of 0.70. The most diverse community college in Cook County, IL is City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College. Read more about community college diversity statistics in the USA.

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