More selective than 19% of Illinois colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $51,889. College Scorecard.
Higher than 31% of Illinois colleges we cover and 45% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 4% of Illinois colleges we cover and 18% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Columbia College Chicago acceptance rate & admissions
Of 7,873 applicants, Columbia College Chicago admitted 7,178 and 1,608 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Columbia College Chicago tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Columbia College Chicago costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Columbia College Chicago took 4.3 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Illinois. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $20,924 | $90,810 | 14.2 years |
| $30–48k | $21,423 | $92,976 | 14.5 years |
| $48–75k | $25,590 | $111,061 | 17.4 years |
| $75–110k | $31,677 | $137,478 | more than 20 years |
| $110k+ | $36,436 | $158,132 | more than 20 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (39% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($42,195) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $6,398 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Columbia College Chicago majors, earnings & careers
Columbia College Chicago offers 26 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Arts & Design · 7
- Communications & Media · 6
- Humanities & Languages · 6
- Business & Finance · 2
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Education · 1
- Health & Medicine · 1
- Science & Math · 1
Highest-earning majors at Columbia College Chicago
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Public Relations and Advertising | $66,798 | $26,000 |
| Marketing | $65,686 | $26,250 |
| Business Administration | $56,482 | $27,000 |
| Broadcasting / Digital Media | $54,357 | $25,420 |
| Journalism | $51,639 | $26,000 |
| Arts and Entertainment Management | $50,592 | $26,000 |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $49,593 | $27,000 |
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | $48,601 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 26 majors
- American Sign Language$45,619
- Arts and Entertainment Management$50,592
- Audiovisual Communications Technologies / Technicians$43,731
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$54,357
- Business Administration$56,482
- Communications—
- Computer Programming—
- Dance$41,842
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- English—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies$44,703
- Film and Photography$41,200
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$48,601
- Graphic Communications$43,970
- Journalism$51,639
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Marketing$65,686
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$49,593
- Music$40,734
- Physics—
- Public Relations and Advertising$66,798
- Software and Media Applications—
- Studio Art$42,176
- Theatre$39,986
- Writing$39,751
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design → Graphic designer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 1.7% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Chicago
Overall prices in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,011. Housing costs 12% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 44 inches of rain a year, 39 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (very high); river flooding (very high); heat wave (very high); winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Cook County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Cook County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Columbia College Chicago with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Illinois by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia College Chicago | 89% | $26,598 | 52% | $42,195 | This school |
| Dominican University | 90% | $11,745 | 55% | $60,327 | |
| Saint Xavier University | 84% | $10,970 | 57% | $58,656 | |
| Aurora University | 81% | $18,838 | 60% | $58,709 | |
| National Louis University | 95% | $12,641 | 30% | $45,799 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Columbia College Chicago would cost you $14,853 more per year than Dominican University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Columbia College Chicago, mostly from more Dominican University students living at home, which lowers its average (+$5,722).
- Dominican University gives aided families $6,855 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Illinois resident | Columbia College Chicago | Dominican University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $34,088 | $38,978 | −$4,890 |
| Books & supplies | $1,800 | $1,200 | +$600 |
| Housing & meals | $16,838 | $12,552 | +$4,286 |
| Personal & travel | $3,130 | $850 | +$2,280 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,967 | −$9,689 | +$5,722 |
| Sticker price | $51,889 | $43,891 | +$7,998 |
| Average grants | −$25,291 | −$32,146 | +$6,855 |
| You pay | $26,598 | $11,745 | +$14,853 |
“+” means Columbia College Chicago costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Columbia College Chicago
What is the Columbia College Chicago acceptance rate?
Columbia College Chicago accepts 89% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 7,178 of 7,873 applicants were admitted.
How much does Columbia College Chicago cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $51,889 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $26,598 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $20,924 and families earning $110k+ pay $36,436.
How much do Columbia College Chicago graduates earn?
Former Columbia College Chicago students earn a median $42,195 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Columbia College Chicago graduation rate?
52% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 66% return for their second year.
How long does a Columbia College Chicago degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Columbia College Chicago costs about $111,061 after grants ($25,590 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $42,195 ten years after starting, $6,398 more than high school graduates in Illinois ($35,797), so the cost is repaid in 17.4 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Columbia College Chicago: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/columbia-college-chicago (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).