EXHIBIT 31.1

              CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER PURSUANT TO
                     SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT RULE 13a-14(a)

         I,  Dr. John J. McGrath, certify that:

         1.  I  have  reviewed  this  annual  report  of  EVCI  Career  Colleges
Incorporated;

         2. Based on my  knowledge,  this  report  does not  contain  any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact  necessary to make
the statements made, in light of the  circumstances  under which such statements
were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

         3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the
financial condition,  results of operations and cash flows of the small business
issuer as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

         4. The small  business  issuer's  other  certifying  officer  and I are
responsible for establishing and maintaining  disclosure controls and procedures
(as  defined  in  Exchange  Act Rules  13a-15(e)  and  15d-15(e))  for the small
business issuer and have:

             (a) designed such  disclosure  controls and  procedures,  or caused
such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to
ensure  that  material  information  relating  to  the  small  business  issuer,
including its  consolidated  subsidiaries,  is made known to us by others within
those  entities,  particularly  during the period in which this  report is being
prepared;

             (b)  evaluated the  effectiveness  of the small  business  issuer's
disclosure  controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions
about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end
of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

             (c)  disclosed  in this  report  any  change in the small  business
issuer's  internal  control over financial  reporting  that occurred  during the
small business  issuer's most recent fiscal quarter (the small business issuer's
fourth  fiscal  quarter  in the case of an annual  report)  that has  materially
affected,  or is reasonably  likely to  materially  effect,  the small  business
issuer's internal control over financial reporting.

         5. The small  business  issuer's  other  certifying  officer and I have
disclosed,  based  on our  most  recent  evaluation  of  internal  control  over
financial  reporting,  to the small  business  issuer's  auditors  and the audit
committee of small business  issuer's board of directors (or persons  performing
the equivalent functions):

             (a) all  significant  deficiencies  and material  weaknesses in the
design or  operation  of internal  control over  financial  reporting  which are
reasonably  likely to adversely  affect the small business  issuer's  ability to
record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

             (b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or
other  employees  who have a  significant  role in the small  business  issuer's
internal control over financial reporting.


Date: March 5, 2004                     /s/ Dr. John J. McGrath
                                        -------------------------------
                                        Name: Dr. John J. McGrath
                                        Title: Chief Executive Officer and
                                               President