Admissions > Registration

Registrar's Office
773.838.7600

Five Steps to New Student Admission and Registration

A new or transfer student to the City Colleges of Chicago must complete these steps to register: Apply for admission. Visit the Registrar's Office to apply. No registration will take place until the Admission Form is received and entered into the system. The Admission Form is downloadable in .pdf format. To view and print, you will need the free Adobe Acrobat reader. Testing. All new and transfer students who need to meet course prerequisites must be tested in English, reading and mathematics. Once an application is received, new students will be invited, by letter, for testing and orientation. Transfer students who do not require testing will be invited for an orientation and programming. Predominantly non-English speaking students will take the CELSA and math placement tests. Students whose first language is English computerized Compass tests in reading and math, unless they have an ACT score that is less than two years old. In that case, students may use the ACT exam score to bypass the Compass exams. The testing session also includes a writing sample. No students will be admitted to testing without an invitation letter or test referral form. The results will determine appropriate course placement and whether non-high school graduates qualify for admission into the college credit division. The testing and orientation may take two days. Orientation and Course Placement. Once students are tested, they must come back to the college on an assigned day for orientation, to receive their test results and to register for classes. Students will be informed of their return appointment at the test session. At the return session, which will take approximately three hours, they will be oriented to college policies and support services, review their test scores with an advisor, select a program of study, choose their courses and times, and complete registration. ESL students will also have an interview to further determine accurate course placement. Computer Entry. After students have completed their registration card, which must be signed by a counselor or an academic advisor, it will be entered into the computer and tuition and fees will be determined. Payment must be made within 24 hours. Payment. Payment may be made by cash, check, VISA, Master Card or, for students who are eligible for financial aid, a financial aid payment extension form. For students registering EARLY ONLY, a $100 partial payment will hold classes until the first day of registration. If tuition is not paid in full by this date, all courses will be dropped. The nonrefundable $25 registration fee will be charged to all students.