SPRINGFIELD (Oct. 23, 2025) — Illinois community colleges have once again recorded steady growth, marking the fourth consecutive year of enrollment increases, according to the Fall 2025 Illinois Community College Opening Enrollment Report released today by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB).

Statewide, total community college enrollment reached 274,737 students in Fall 2025 — a 3.7 percent increase in headcount and 3.0 percent increase in Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) from the previous year. This year’s growth pushes enrollment 1.3 percent above pre-pandemic levels (Fall 2019), demonstrating the system’s continued recovery and the enduring demand for accessible, affordable higher education across Illinois.

“Year after year, Illinois is seeing increases in community college enrollment, reflecting my commitment to make Illinois the best state in the nation to receive an education,” said Governor JB
Pritzker. “Accessible, high-quality education transforms lives. Whether it’s an affordable pathway to a four-year institution or an opportunity for specialized workforce development, higher enrollment in our state’s community colleges means more Illinoisans are realizing their full potential.”

By Peter Medlin | Northern Public Radio Illinois
Published August 28, 2025

Northern Illinois University sophomore Michael Kocher shows his friend around campus during Welcome Week, posing for a picture in front of the "Huskie Pride" sculpture.

His friend just transferred from community college. Kocher says, if it wasn't for getting one of the state's Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants for lower-income college students, he would have taken the same path.

"Because then I could, at least, work my way through college," he said. "Because NIU is a little expensive, I mean, compared to Kishwaukee College, at least. But, yeah, MAP and FAFSA really was a big decision in coming here."

He's not alone. NIU enrollment administrator Sol Jensen says, for many students, MAP doesn't just decide university versus community college.

"If we did not have MAP grants, there are thousands of students that very likely would not be able to go to college," said Jensen.

The Illinois budget impasse began 10 years ago. At that time, Lawmakers significantly cut funding for MAP. But state investment has grown a lot since the budget crisis.

In fiscal year 2016, the state appropriated $170 million to MAP. In 2025, the state budget devoted over $700 million.

By Kate Armanini | Chicago Tribune
Originally Published: August 11, 2025 at 5:00 AM CDT
Updated:  August 11, 2025 at 12:57 PM CDT

Tyshawn Allison dreamed of leaving Chicago for a prestigious out-of-state university.
 
But for most of high school, that dream felt out of reach. The 19-year-old had no idea how he’d afford rising tuition costs — and he doubted his grades would be enough for a scholarship. Only a handful of his friends from his Belmont Cragin school made it to college. Many dropped out.
 
“There were times in high school where I felt like a failure,” said Allison.
 
It was his mom who first suggested Wilbur Wright College. Two years later, Allison holds an associate’s degree in accounting, and will transfer to a four-year university without any debt.

“I wanted to end the circle of stereotypes,” he said. “That’s really what made me want to push myself.”

Higher education remains the strongest pathway towards economic mobility. But students from low-income backgrounds and minority groups are still significantly less likely to pursue or complete a college degree, according to a July report from the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative, which studies the education-to-workforce pipeline.

By Peter Hancock
July 18, 2025

Article Summary
A new study shows there are barriers to upward mobility in Illinois, especially for women and people of color.

People who grow up in lower-income families tend to earn less as adults than those from wealthier families, even after earning similar degrees and going to work in similar fields.
Educational attainment and career choices are still the biggest factors that influence future earnings.
 
For generations, America has been thought of as the land of opportunity, a place where anyone who worked and studied hard could grow up to achieve any goal they set for themselves.
 
That idea has had especially strong roots in Illinois, the “Land of Lincoln,” where a young man born in a log cabin on America’s frontier rose from rail-splitter to self-taught lawyer and president of the United States.
 
But a new study suggests that the American dream is still more elusive for some people in Illinois than for others, and that the pathway up the economic ladder is not easily scaled.

By Walter Hudson
Jul 7, 2025

Higher education leaders and student advocacy organizations issued sharp condemnations following congressional passage of President Trump's signature reconciliation bill, warning that the legislation will significantly harm college access and affordability for millions of students.

The bill, which passed both chambers of Congress along party lines, combines major tax changes with deep spending cuts that critics say will undermine higher education funding and student support programs.

"Over great public outcry, President Trump signed his signature legislation - a grave mistake that will have devastating repercussions for years to come," said Kristin McGuire, President and CEO of Young Invincibles. "By slashing access to health care, forcing millions out of coverage, and restricting access to essential programs like SNAP, this legislation will be deadly."

By Liam Knox
June 16, 2025

The Senate’s proposed higher education bill departed from the House version in many ways, but one provision remained almost completely untouched. That was workforce Pell, which would extend eligibility for the federal financial aid grant to students enrolled in short-term credential programs running between eight and 15 weeks long.
 
If it passes, workforce Pell would give federal financial aid to likely hundreds of thousands more students a year and provide aid to many community college students in particular who don’t currently qualify.
 
It would also incentivize an explosion of interest in the burgeoning credentials sector. With few guardrails against for-profit and unaccredited providers, that could mean a flood of unvetted programs receiving federal funds to enroll vulnerable students.

By AACC Government Relations Staff 
June 11, 2025

FROM: ICCTA Trustees Association
UPDATED: Tue, Jun 3, 2025 at 10:45 AM

As the spring legislative session concluded on May 31, Senate Bill 1988 was not called to the House floor. The initiative, introduced by Gov. JB Pritzker on February 19, advanced rapidly in the months that followed but was ultimately delayed amid end-of-session constraints. 
 
Challenges to Passage
Over the past three months, several political and procedural dynamics ultimately prevented SB 1988 from being called to the House floor:

• SB1988 went through extensive negotiations with public universities, resulting in revised language that reflected months of collaboration and compromise.
  
• The bill became entangled in broader end-of-session negotiations, as legislative priorities were shaped by budget discussions and competing demands.
  
• Members of both the Black Caucus and the Freedom Caucus raised concerns, underscoring the need for continued dialogue and clarification around the bill’s purpose, equity considerations, and long-term safeguards.