IL HR0527

Nearly one million students enroll in Illinois community college credit and non-credit courses annually, with 65% of all public higher education students in Illinois attending community colleges.

More than two-thirds of minority students in Illinois public higher education, approximately 15,000 students with disabilities, and 62,000 students with limited English proficiency are served by community colleges each year.

Community colleges offered 8,780 dual credit courses to 82,895 high school students, with average tuition at $119.00 per credit hour; approximately 75% of the nearly 165,000 qualified MAP grant students turned away in Fiscal Year 2014 were community college students.

Students who completed community college education in Fiscal Year 2011 saw an average earnings increase of $3,600, representing a 30% gain over pre-enrollment wages.

House urges President Barack Obama and Congress to make federal funds available to the Illinois Community College System to support tuition-free community college education and workforce development.