PRAIRIE STATE COLLEGE E-16

202 South Halsted St.
Chicago Heights, IL 60411-8226
Tel: (708)709-3500; (708)709-3516
Admissions: (708)709-3542
Web Site: http://www.prairiestate.edu/

Description:

State and locally supported, 2-year, coed. Part of Illinois Community College Board. Awards certificates, transfer associate, and terminal associate degrees. Founded 1958. Setting: 68-acre suburban campus with easy access to Chicago. Endowment: $750,000. Educational spending 2003-04: $5532 per student. Total enrollment: 5,342. Student-undergrad faculty ratio is 17:1. 712 applied, 100% were admitted. 7% from top 10% of their high school class, 26% from top quarter, 55% from top half. Full-time: 1,745 students, 61% women, 39% men. Part-time: 3,597 students, 62% women, 38% men. Students come from 4 states and territories, 4% from out-of-state, 1% Native American, 12% Hispanic, 45% black, 1% Asian American or Pacific Islander, 0.2% international, 50% 25 or older, 0.4% transferred in. Core. Calendar: semesters. Academic remediation for entering students, ESL program, services for LD students, advanced placement, self-designed majors, honors program, distance learning, summer session for credit, part-time degree program, adult/continuing education programs, internships.

Entrance Requirements:

Open admission except for nursing, dental hygiene programs. Options: Common Application, deferred admission. Required: high school transcript. Placement: ACT COMPASS required for some. Entrance: noncompetitive. Application deadline: Rolling.

Costs Per Year:

Application fee: $10. Area resident tuition: $1824 full-time, $67 per credit hour part-time. State resident tuition: $5280 full-time, $211 per credit hour part-time. Nonresident tuition: $7200 full-time, $291 per credit hour part-time. Mandatory fees: $236 full-time, $9 per credit hour part-time, $10 per term part-time. Full-time tuition and fees vary according to course load. Part-time tuition and fees vary according to course load. College room and board: $4500. Room and board charges vary according to location.

Collegiate Environment:

Orientation program. Drama-theater group, choral group, student-run newspaper. Social organizations: 10 open to all. Most popular organizations: Phi Theta Kappa, Black Student Union, Student Government Association, student newspaper, Mental Health Club. Major annual event: Student Leadership Awards. Student services: personal-psychological counseling. Campus security: 24-hour emergency response devices and patrols, student patrols, late night transport-escort service. Learning Resource Center with 45,000 books, 80,000 microform titles, 515 serials, 4,000 audiovisual materials, and an OPAC. Operations spending 2003-04: $632,000. 300 computers available on campus for general student use. A campuswide network can be accessed. Staffed computer lab on campus.

Community Environment:

Chicago Heights is a metropolitan area located 25 miles south of the Chicago loop. Railroads and buses serve the area. Within the city are shopping centers, many churches, a library, and a hospital. For recreation, there are many parks, a community center with an educational, recreational and social service program, and a Forest Preserve of 1,350 acres.