Chicago Crusader Reports: City Colleges’ partnership drives enrollment and student success

As community colleges nationwide continue to struggle with post-pandemic enrollment declines, City Colleges of Chicago is moving in the opposite direction—posting its fourth consecutive year of enrollment growth while recording the highest completion rates in the system’s history.

City Colleges Chancellor Juan Salgado said the progress reflects a deliberate strategy centered on removing barriers for students, expanding career-aligned programs, and scaling partnerships that demonstrate measurable success, including the system’s growing collaboration with One Million Degrees.

“We’re meeting our students where they’re at, and we’re being intentional about removing barriers as an institution,” Salgado said in an interview with the Chicago Crusader. “We’re making sure students understand they belong in higher education, they belong along these career paths, and they belong in the occupations that are out there in the marketplace.”

Findings from a multi-year evaluation by the University of Chicago Inclusive Economy Lab show that students participating in the One Million Degrees wraparound support model attempted more credits, earned more credits, and persisted at higher rates than similar peers who were eligible but did not participate.

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The findings carry particular significance at a time when higher education institutions nationwide are grappling not only with enrollment losses, but with how to expand student support programs without losing effectiveness. Many wraparound models show promise in small pilot programs but falter when implemented at scale. The Inclusive Economy Lab evaluation indicates that City Colleges of Chicago was able to scale the One Million Degrees model while maintaining—and in some cases improving—student outcomes, offering rare evidence that comprehensive student supports can work across a large, urban community college system.

Salgado said those results guide how City Colleges makes decisions about which programs to expand.

“What we’re doing at City Colleges is looking for programs, models, and services that truly move the needle,” he said. “When we find something that’s working—whether it’s a strategy that engages advisors or a program like One Million Degrees—we scale it. If it’s working, you should be doing more of it.”

Inside the One Million Degrees model

Aarti Dhupelia, CEO of One Million Degrees, said the organization’s mission is closely aligned with City Colleges’ equity and completion goals.

“We’re really focused on two North Stars,” Dhupelia said. “Helping our scholars complete a degree or certificate, and helping them achieve their post-college goals—whether that’s transferring to a university or going directly into the workforce.”

One Million Degrees provides students with one-on-one coaching, academic planning support, professional development workshops, and financial stipends of up to $1,000 per year, distributed as students reach milestones such as registering for classes, meeting with advisors, or completing a resumé.

“At the center of the model is personal, one-on-one support,” Dhupelia said. “Every scholar has a success coach—someone who helps them navigate college, set goals, and stay on track.”

She said the coaching component helps demystify campus systems, particularly for first-generation students and those balancing work, family, and financial responsibilities. Monthly career development workshops focus on resumé writing, interviewing skills, and professional readiness.

“The financial stipends provide an extra boost,” Dhupelia said. “They act like a merit-based incentive layered on top of the supports City Colleges already provides.”

The Inclusive Economy Lab study also found that the per-student cost of the program declined as participation expanded. Dhupelia attributed that efficiency to close coordination between One Million Degrees and City Colleges staff.