City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College — Admission Snapshot 2026
A complete at-a-glance picture of every metric that matters for your 2026 application
City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J. Daley College, established in 1960, is a public community college serving Chicago's Southwest Side. It offers programs in criminal justice, engineering, and bilingual education. The campus includes a STEM center and a state-of-the-art library.
Daley College is unranked but pivotal for urban workforce development. Its location near Midway Airport provides logistics and public safety training opportunities.
City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College Acceptance Rate
Admission at City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College is inclusive by design: 100% of applicants who meet basic eligibility are accepted.
What to Expect
- Eligibility First: A high school diploma or GED typically clears the main bar.
- Plan Ahead for Placement: Placement tests can shape which courses you start in — worth preparing for.
Selectivity at a Glance
Open Enrollment
A GPA a bit under the average isn't disqualifying at this tier — a solid test score or clear leadership record can offset it.
Source: IPEDS & College Scorecard (Nov 2025).
City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College Application Deadlines & Admission Dates 2026
City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College follows a Rolling Admissions policy, meaning applications are reviewed as they arrive and there is no single fixed deadline.
Key Admission Dates
City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College reviews applications continuously throughout the year. Seats and scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so applying early gives you a significant advantage for both admission and financial aid.
Deadlines are verified from official institutional sources but may change each cycle. Always confirm final dates on the official website.
Check Your Admission Chances at City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College
Admission Chance Predictor
Built from City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College's own verified admissions data — adjust the sliders below
Adjust the sliders to see how every decimal point affects your outcome.
⚠️ Note: Predicting based on regional averages as this institution does not publicly report full score datasets.
Calculated via College Portal's Human-Intelligence (HI) Methodology & Editorial Standards. Verified by Sohaib Ahmad Khan.
City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College Test Requirements
Scores aren't just a formality at City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College — landing within or above the 2026 admitted class's middle 50% keeps you fully competitive, even where submission is optional.
Can I Get Into City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College Without SAT or ACT?
Your 2026 Admissions Roadmap for City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College
Inclusive Strategy: Success & Transfer
Getting into City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College is the easy part — what matters next is using placement testing, advising, and available resources to set up a strong first year.
The City Colleges of Chicago School of Nursing (CCCSON) operates as a single, centralized program housed at Malcolm X College, requiring all ATI TEAS testing to be completed in person specifically at the Malcolm X campus regardless of which City Colleges campus you're otherwise enrolled at. If you're a Daley student pursuing nursing, direct your nursing-specific questions and TEAS scheduling to the Malcolm X Nursing Office rather than Daley's general admissions office, since Daley itself does not run a separate nursing admission process.
Chicago's STAR Scholarship provides free tuition and books for CPS graduates with a 3.0 GPA who test completion-ready in Math and English on the CCC placement test, plus options to help fund up to $50,000 per year toward a bachelor's degree after completing the associate degree. If you graduated from a Chicago Public School with this GPA, apply for STAR before assuming you need to pay standard tuition at Daley, since this is a genuinely free, structured pathway distinct from federal financial aid.
CCCSON requires a minimum 65% cumulative / 73% reading TEAS score for the AAS Degree Nursing Program, but only 60% cumulative / 70% reading for the Practical Nursing program - these are not interchangeable, and confusing the two could mean underpreparing for your actual target track. Confirm which specific numeric threshold applies to your intended nursing credential (AAS vs. PN) before treating any single "TEAS cutoff" as universal across both tracks.
Daley College is one of several City Colleges campuses where OMD requires a distinct application (unlike Malcolm X, Olive-Harvey, or Harold Washington, where eligible students are automatically opted in), and OMD functions as a "last-dollar" scholarship rather than covering full tuition. If you're Pell-eligible and attending Daley, actively apply to OMD rather than assuming automatic enrollment, since Daley is explicitly listed among the campuses requiring a proactive application step.
Because Daley College itself has fully open admission, applicants sometimes assume nursing at "City Colleges of Chicago" works the same way regardless of which specific campus they enroll at. It does not - nursing is centralized at Malcolm X College with its own dedicated admissions cycle (e.g., Spring 2027 applications opening August 31, 2026, and closing November 9, 2026), meaning Daley students pursuing nursing are effectively applying to a different campus's program with its own separate deadlines, testing location, and TEAS thresholds distinct from general Daley enrollment.
City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College Profile
Is a City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College Degree Worth It?
At $9,543/year against a $37,962 median graduate salary, City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College is worth weighing against your specific program and financial situation — the numbers below give you a real basis for that decision.
Admitted students' families report a median household income around $51,100, and graduates see a 7.41% unemployment rate.
How much does a degree from City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College Cost?
Listed tuition runs $9,543/year at City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College; factor in Pell and federal grant aid and most students land closer to $3,166.
At City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College, 21.7% receive a Pell Grant and 0.2% carry federal loans. Filing FAFSA early and naming City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College on it improves your shot at both.
How much does a City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College Graduate earn?
Ten years out from enrollment, City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College graduates report a median income of $37,962, somewhat below the U.S. median graduate income of $40,595.
Degree Programs at City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College
Associate Degree Programs
UG Certificate or Diploma Programs
Frequently Asked Questions About City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College Admissions
City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College graduates earn a lower median salary of $37,962/year, especially outside technical fields.
Tuition at City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College is relatively affordable, around $9,543/year.
21.7% receive a Pell Grant here, below the ~35% national average — City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College skews toward higher-income students, though merit aid may still be worth checking.
City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College follows Rolling Admissions — applications are reviewed year-round, so applying early is your best strategy.
Transferring in is a well-trodden path here. Line up your transcripts, recommendations, and a strong personal statement before applying.
The biggest levers are academic performance, a clear extracurricular focus, and essays that stand out — plus a solid test score where the school considers one.
