ICCS INFORMATION & FACTS

• The first community college in the nation was established in Illinois -- Joliet Junior College -- in 1901.
• Illinois is the 3rd largest community college system in the nation.
• 39 community college districts, which contain 48 community colleges statewide, serve the diverse needs of Illinois' adult population.
• The average community college full-time student pays only $2,350 per year in tuition and fees.
• Community colleges offer training in over 300 different careers/occupations.
• Sixty percent of the career and technical program graduates are employed in the community college district where they were educated and trained. They make positive contributions to the regional economy.
• A recent study by Northern Illinois University’s Center for Governmental Studies entitled, The Economic Impact of Illinois Community Colleges, finds that more than 80 percent of Illinois employers have hired a community college student over the last ten years and that nearly 30% of Illinois employees have completed a credit course at a community college in that same time period.
• Taking courses at an Illinois community college pays off in the students’ work lives. On average, all students who complete their Illinois community college education experience a double-digit percentage increase in earnings over their pre-enrollment wages. According to the study, Illinois community college graduates employed full-time averaged more than $30,000 statewide in annual earnings after graduating.
• Community colleges helped to create and retain over 14,000 Illinois jobs in Fiscal Year 2007.
• Of all postsecondary sectors, community colleges enroll by far the highest proportion of low income youth, particularly from urban centers; the highest proportion of legal immigrants seeking to develop their skills and expand their opportunities; and the highest proportion of minority groups who are under represented both at middle- and upper-income levels and in good jobs with career opportunities. Heading off the spread of poverty among these groups and reversing the growing disparity of wealth and income are among the most important tasks facing our nation. Community colleges are one of the keys to meeting these challenges.
• Community colleges are taking on the huge task of "reskilling" America's work force by helping literally millions of working adults develop higher levels of basic and technical skills. Success in this unprecedented challenge is essential if America's workers are to earn good wages and if their employers are to compete in demanding world markets.
• Each fall, Illinois community colleges account for nearly two-thirds (63.2 percent) of all students enrolled in Illinois public higher education. Community colleges are the primary provider of the higher education experience in Illinois.
• In 2007, nearly 40,000 college and university graduates returned to Illinois community colleges for additional education and training. Illinois community colleges educate, train, and enhance the lives of almost one million students each year.
• One out of every 13 Illinois citizens attends an Illinois community college. Community college students average 30 years of age.
• More than three-fourths of all minorities in public higher education attend community colleges, and nearly 12,500 students with disabilities and 66,000 students with limited English proficiency are served annually.
• The Illinois community college system is the primary provider of workforce preparation in Illinois.
• In fiscal year 2007, business and industry centers within Illinois community colleges served over 175,000 businesses and individuals.
• Nine out of ten Illinois community college graduates live, work, pay taxes, and raise their families in Illinois.
• Using two-way interactive video technology, the Illinois community college system has built multiple partnerships with postsecondary education institutions, with the K-12 schools, with rural hospitals, with federal research labs, with industry, with libraries, and with manufacturers.
• The Illinois community college system was one of the first in the nation to offer students educational guarantees and one of the first to develop a uniform financial reporting system.
• (May, 2008)