City Colleges
of Chicago-Richard J Daley College
Public Community College in Chicago, IL. Six-year graduation rate 27%. Median 10-year earnings $37,962.
Students who entered City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College reach a median of $37,962 a decade later, a figure that trails the typical four-year outcome. Only 27% finish within six years, so roughly three in four students leave without the credential they enrolled for. Graduates leave owing a median of $4,500 — modest by four-year standards.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.12 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 27% — below national average
Academics
A six-year graduation rate of 27% means finishing is closer to the exception than the rule. 63% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about two in five are gone before sophomore year. The distance between those two figures is the part worth noticing — students return for a second year at a much higher rate than they graduate, so attrition here is spread across the middle years rather than concentrated in the first. The part-time picture is harder: 39% return, against 63% full-time. The 31:1 student-faculty ratio is high, so large classes and limited faculty contact should be the expectation.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,540 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $8,245 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. The gap between the $0–30k and $75–110k bands is narrow ($6,925 versus $11,415), meaning aid is not strongly need-weighted. About 51% get grants averaging $5,041, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 1% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 423 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $6,925 |
| $30–48k | $7,224 |
| $48–75k | $10,110 |
| $75–110k | $11,415 |
| $110k+ | — |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 14 of these 2,540 students, totalling $53,745 — an average of $3,839 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Cook County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)