In 1988, a retrospective study was conducted at the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) of the enrollment patterns of 1,521 students who graduated from the district in spring 1987. The study was designed to determine the length of time it took a sample of CCC graduates to receive a two-year degree. Data for the study were drawn from computerized and hard-copy student records, including the number of hours enrolled and earned each semester (including summers), the CCC college attended (or an indication of the nature of the non-CCC college attended), and the number of hours earned at each college. Major findings of the study included the following: (1) the average time between first enrollment at CCC and the receipt of a degree was 5.9 years; (2) only 61 students received their degree in 2 years or less, with most taking from 2 to 8 years and 50 taking 20 years or more; (3) three out of five graduates took time off while pursuing their degrees; (4) on average, graduates enrolled for 9.2 semesters, with only 35 graduates completing their degrees in four semesters; (5) 72% of the graduates combined part-time and full-time enrollment, with only 20% continually enrolled full time; and (6) based on limited comparative data, CCC enrollment patterns appeared to be similar to those of associate degree recipients at many other institutions and reflected the general trend toward longer enrollment periods in American public higher education. Data on the characteristics of degree recipients, enrollment and stopout patterns by college, and remedial course-taking trends are appended. (JMC)