Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · www.colum.edu/ ↗

Columbia College Chicago is a private nonprofit college in Chicago, Illinois, located in a large city. It enrolls 5,368 undergraduate degree-seeking students and mostly awards bachelor's degrees. It also offers graduate degrees. By number of bachelor's degrees awarded, its largest programs are Film/Video and Photographic Arts, Design and Applied Arts, and Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Compare with similar schools: Private nonprofit colleges in Illinois

Compare its largest majors across colleges: Film/Video and Photographic Arts · Design and Applied Arts · Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft

Columbia College Chicago at a glance

Undergraduate enrollment
5,368
Similar schools: 1,107
Average net priceiAverage sticker price minus typical grants and scholarships: the amount most students actually pay out-of-pocket plus loans.
$36,529
Similar schools: $22,971
Admit rateiShare of applicants who get accepted. Lower = more selective.
89.5%
Similar schools: 73.7%
Graduation rate (6 yrs)iShare of full-time students who finished a 4-year degree within 6 years (which is 150% of the standard 4-year time).
47.3%
Similar schools: 57.7%
Median earnings (10 yrs)iMedian earnings of students 10 years after they started college, among those working and not enrolled in further schooling.
$48,427
Similar schools: $59,098
Median debt at graduationiMedian federal student-loan balance carried by students who graduated. Doesn't include Parent PLUS or private loans.
$25,000
Similar schools: $23,250
First-year retentioniShare of first-year students who came back for year two. A baseline measure of student satisfaction.
66.0%
Similar schools: 77.1%

What the data shows about Columbia College Chicago

Comparisons below use the medians for the 1,197 private nonprofit schools that mostly award bachelor's degrees in the College Scorecard. Its average net price is $36,529 a year, higher than the $22,971 median for similar schools. It admits 89.5% of applicants, higher than the 73.7% median. 66.0% of first-time, full-time students return for a second year (similar-school median: 77.1%). 47.3% of full-time students finish a four-year degree within six years, lower than the 57.7% median. Ten years after enrolling, former students who are working earn a median of $48,427, lower than the $59,098 median for similar schools. Graduates leave with a median of $25,000 in federal student loans (similar-school median: $23,250).