The Chicago STAR Scholarship took effect last fall semester. This award will allow Chicago Public School students who maintained a 3.0 average in high school to enroll in a City College of Chicago, tuition free.
The plan was first proposed by the mayor of the city Rahm Emmanuel; his plan being to increase higher education opportunities to the students of Chicago public schools. Working alongside the chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago, Cheryl Hyman, the program was implemented in Fall 2015 so that incoming high school graduates for the following spring semester can be eligible for the award.
Attending any college can be challenging, especially if there is little means to afford your education. This program gives financially struggling students a chance to attend college class and the capability to earn the Associate’s’ degree without paying out of pocket. The Chicago STAR Program covers all expenses: tuition, books, and class fees, and also established partnerships with four-year colleges and universities such as DePaul University, University of Illinois in Chicago, Loyola University, and the School of the Art Institute.
Awards given to Chicago STAR students that are provided by these colleges can range from $5,000- $50,000 a year depending on the school.
There were some challenges when the program first started in the fall. According to the mayor’s press office’s website at cityofchicago.org, “Any CPS high school graduate who has a 3.0 GPA or higher, places into college-level math and English, and enrolls in one of CCC’s pathways will be eligible for the Chicago Star Scholarship” When the program first launched, the requirements were that B students must also score the national average of 21 in the English and the math sections on the ACT.
Natasha Korecki and Lauren FitzPatrick explain in their article for the Chicago Sun Times, CPS students won't come by free City Colleges scholarships so easily, how this was a problem due to low ACT scores for students in Illinois, averaging “17.4 on English section and 18.2 on mathematics” In order to extend the opportunity for more students, the program was expanded in June 2015 so that students who score 17 on their ACT in math and English can be eligible for the award.
CCC students are only eligible for the award if they graduated from and enrolled in college in 2015 and afterwards. In other words, students who were enrolled prior to 2015 are not eligible for the award.
The Chicago STAR Program is a huge benefit to those students who struggle to afford higher education, even more so now in Illinois where state funded schools are facing budget complications. If you are struggling to pay your college tuition, remember you can fill out a FASFA application online at their website, https://fafsa.ed.gov before June 30 2016.