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 Welcome

 Adult Education (ESL, GED/HiSET)

Learn English (ESL) or complete your high school education (GED/HiSET) FOR FREE. Any level of learner accepted, from beginner to advanced.                       

  • ESL classes cover reading, writing, listening, speaking, grammar, and vocabulary skills. We also have Citizenship.
  • High School Equivalency classes cover Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science to prepare you to take the GED/HiSET
  • We also offer programs to help you transition into college credit or job credential programs.

Classes are available in-person, online, a combination of both in-person and online (hybrid)                                             
                                       
                                    
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Eligibility:                       
Students must:                      
  • ​Be 18 years or older (or provide proof of high school separation)
  • Live in Illinois
  • F-1, F-2, J-1, J-2 visas not accepted.  

                     
                     
Start your enrollment today                      
CLICK HERE​ to complete an online application OR visit your college’s Adult Education office                     
Click on your college for more information:                      

                     
                     
After you apply online, you will need to complete the following steps to enroll:                     
                     

                     
Do you have more questions?                      
Visit our Questions and Answer page HERE​.                     
                      
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 Student Success

Gloria Villanueva
Adult Education
When I signed up to earn my high school equivalency, I didn’t know what to expect. It had been years since I’d been in a classroom setting. I was raised in Chicago until kindergarten, when I went to live with my grandparents in Mexico. There, I continued my education all the way until college prep....
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Sylwia Jarzabek
Adult Education
After coming to the United States from Poland, I wanted to help others. I was thinking about applying for the medical field or a law enforcement career. However, with no sense of career direction and limited English, I decided to apply for English as a Second Language at Truman College. My plan was to learn...
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Naomi Monroe
Adult Education
Growing up on the southwest side of Chicago, Naomi Monroe was always a strong student. In junior high, she moved from the LeClaire Courts neighborhood to Wentworth Gardens and was named valedictorian of her eighth grade class. She was honored to be the student speaker at her graduation ceremony. “I had a great start to...
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Georgina Reyes
Adult Education
When Georgina Reyes immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador in 2011 with her three children, her oldest son was eager to earn his GED. Georgina cheered him on with excitement, and, years later, decided she would follow his lead. Determined to prove that “education is for adults, too,” she enrolled in free GED prep...
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Valentina Atehortua
Adult Education
Two years ago, Valentina Atehortua moved thousands of miles away from her home in Colombia, arriving in Chicago just months before COVID-19 did. As she adjusted to the cultural differences of living in a new country during a stay-at-home order, she was able to build a community at Truman College. Read Valentina’s story in her...
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Laura Ocon
Adult Education
Originally from Torreón, Coahuila, Mèxico, Laura Ocon came to Chicago more than 30 years ago. A wife and mother of three children, she found it challenging to get important healthcare information in her native Spanish. After starting school, her daughter increasingly served as the family translator. Ocon promised herself that as soon she had time, she...
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 Our Vision

                                                                              
​The City Colleges of Chicago Adult Education programs provide open access for learners from diverse backgrounds that deliver high quality education to prepare students to transition successfully into college, career pathways, the workforce and/or to meet personal goals as lifelong learners. In collaboration with community partners, the City Colleges of Chicago Adult Education program provides students with supporting services to meet their social, emotional and academic needs, leading to economic mobility.​
                                                                              
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