Chicago, IL · Private · 5,368 undergraduates · urban
Columbia College Chicago
Less selective
Columbia College Chicago is built for creative practice in the city, with arts, media and business programs spread through a downtown campus rather than a traditional quad.
Institutional profile
Regionally focused Strongest in student experience and academic standing.- Admission
- 91.2% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 55%
7,873 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$42,195 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Columbia College Chicago apart
Academic design
Programs span film and television, music, design, fashion, theatre, dance, visual arts, communication and creative-business fields alongside a liberal-arts core.
Campus pattern
Student life unfolds across buildings in Chicago's South Loop, using the city's venues, cultural institutions and creative industries as an extended classroom.
Career & value signal
Professional studios, production labs and performance spaces let students make portfolio-ready work in the same formats used by creative industries.
Can I get in?
91.2% admitted
Start with the academic record, then make the intended direction and school-specific fit concrete.
Recent applicant pool
7,873About 91 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Record over scores
No score range is published for the entering class, so the transcript, the course rigor, and the required materials carry the file.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Columbia College Chicago, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Columbia College Chicago weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show preparation for this curriculum
Programs span film and television, music, design, fashion, theatre, dance, visual arts, communication and creative-business fields alongside a liberal-arts core.
Make institutional fit specific
Columbia College Chicago is built for creative practice in the city, with arts, media and business programs spread through a downtown campus rather than a traditional quad.
Use the application route carefully
Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and assemble each required item once.
Check eligibility for a fee waiver
Major and program admission
Some fields have their own entry path.
The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.
Performing and visual artsAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Columbia College Chicago
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. One university-wide earnings figure does not describe every student path.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Design and Applied Arts
Admits separately
Graphic Communications
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Admits separately
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Admits separately
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management
Admits separately
What is campus life like?
Columbia College Chicago beyond the classroom
Student life unfolds across buildings in Chicago's South Loop, using the city's venues, cultural institutions and creative industries as an extended classroom.
A defining academic feature
Programs span film and television, music, design, fashion, theatre, dance, visual arts, communication and creative-business fields alongside a liberal-arts core.
What shapes an ordinary week
Student life unfolds across buildings in Chicago's South Loop, using the city's venues, cultural institutions and creative industries as an extended classroom.
Where the degree can lead
Professional studios, production labs and performance spaces let students make portfolio-ready work in the same formats used by creative industries.