Columbia College Chicago Partners with City Colleges of Chicago on the Chicago STARS Scholarship Program

Ambitious program seeks to guarantee access to higher education for Chicago Public Schools graduates.

CHICAGO (Nov. 5, 2015)--In spring 2016, Columbia College Chicago will offer the Chicago STARS Scholarship to City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) students who transfer to the college following the completion of their Associates Degree. The STARS Scholarship program, which launched in August of this year, has been championed by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and City Colleges Chancellor Cheryl L. Hyman.

The Chicago STARS Scholarship is awarded to students who have graduated from Chicago Public Schools with a 3.0 GPA and have tested completion ready in math, as well as English. Recipients of this scholarship receive free tuition, as well as books, while studying in the City Colleges system. As a partner institution, Columbia will provide significant assistance to transfers from City Colleges of Chicago.

“The Chicago STARS Scholarship program removes the financial barriers Chicago Public Schools students have historically encountered when it comes to pursuing higher education,” said Kwang-Wu Kim, president and CEO of Columbia College Chicago. “After they receive their Associates Degree many City Colleges students transfer to Columbia to complete their Bachelors Degree. We are proud to assist many of them as a Chicago STARS Scholarship partner institution.”

Currently, there are 303 students at Columbia who have transferred in from the City Colleges system. To be considered for Columbia’s Chicago STAR Scholarship program, candidates must have a 3.0 GPA, enroll no later than the Fall semester following their graduation from City Colleges, enroll as a full-time student (12-hour minimum) and complete a Federal Application for Federal Aid (FAFSA), as well as submit all supporting financial aid documents.

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Columbia College Chicago is an urban institution that offers innovative degree programs in the visual, performing, media and communication arts for more than 9,000 students in 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. An arts and media college committed to a rigorous liberal arts curriculum, Columbia is dedicated to opportunity and excellence in higher education. 

City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) is the largest community college system in Illinois and one of the largest in the nation, with 5,700 faculty and staff serving more than 115,000 students annually at seven colleges and six satellite sites. For further information, visit www.ccc.edu.

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