# Columbia College Chicago

Private nonprofit college in Chicago, IL. IPEDS ID 144281.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/columbia-college-chicago · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/columbia-college-chicago.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 90% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $26,598 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 52%; beats 31% of IL colleges and 45% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $42,195; beats 4% of IL colleges and 18% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $16,500

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $20,924 |
| 30-48k | $21,423 |
| 48-75k | $25,590 |
| 75-110k | $31,677 |
| 110k+ | $36,436 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.34 years on average (39% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $42,195 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| 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 |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $51,889
- Tuition and fees: $34,088
- Housing and meals: $16,838; books: $1,800

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: not reported; SAT math: not reported; ACT: not reported (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 7,873 applicants, 7,178 admitted, 1,608 enrolled; test scores not considered
- Fall 2024: acceptance 90%, ACT not reported (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 91%, ACT not reported (IPEDS Admissions)

### Common Data Set 2025-26 (Fall 2025)
- Very important: none; important: rigor, gpa; considered: class rank, essay, recommendations, extracurriculars, talent, character
- Early decision: not reported; early action: not reported; waitlist: no
- Aid (full-time first-years): average 51% of need met; 45 of 763 with need fully met; merit aid to students without need: 104 students, average $12,469
- Source: https://about.colum.edu/effectiveness/columbia_college_chicago_common_dataset_2025-2026.pdf

## Majors (26 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Relations and Advertising | $39,794 | $66,798 | $26,000 |
| Marketing | $36,386 | $65,686 | $26,250 |
| Business Administration | $34,798 | $56,482 | $27,000 |
| Broadcasting / Digital Media | $24,191 | $54,357 | $25,420 |
| Journalism | $31,369 | $51,639 | $26,000 |
| Arts and Entertainment Management | $23,844 | $50,592 | $26,000 |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $25,999 | $49,593 | $27,000 |
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | $29,630 | $48,601 | $27,000 |
| American Sign Language | $33,775 | $45,619 | $28,818 |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | $44,703 | not reported |
| Graphic Communications | $26,309 | $43,970 | $25,000 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies / Technicians | $20,927 | $43,731 | $27,000 |
| Studio Art | $22,765 | $42,176 | $26,000 |
| Dance | not reported | $41,842 | $27,000 |
| Film and Photography | $23,905 | $41,200 | $26,000 |
| Music | $19,943 | $40,734 | $27,000 |
| Theatre | $17,929 | $39,986 | $26,977 |
| Writing | $25,060 | $39,751 | $27,000 |
| Communications | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Programming | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Software and Media Applications | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| English | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design → Graphic designer: median wage $66,490 (Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN), $62,560 (IL), $62,960 (U.S.)
- Business Administration → Management analyst: median wage $105,090 (Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN), $104,270 (IL), $101,860 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).