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Columbia College Chicago

#91 in Best Colleges for Design in America
  • B-
    Overall Grade
  • 4 Year
  • Chicago, IL
  • 2,534 reviews
    B-
    Overall Niche Grade
    How are grades calculated?
    1. Academics
      B-
    2. Value
      C
    3. Diversity
      A
    4. Campus
      B+
    5. Athletics
      NG
    6. Party Scene
      A-
    7. Professors
      B
    8. Location
      A+
    9. Dorms
      B-
    10. Campus Food
      B
    11. Student Life
      B+
    12. Safety
      C+
    View Full Report Card
    Columbia Chicago is a private college located in Chicago, Illinois. It is a mid-size institution with an enrollment of 6,436 undergraduate students. The Columbia Chicago acceptance rate is 92%. Popular majors include Cinematography and Video Production, Retail Management, and Graphic Design. Graduating 44% of students, Columbia Chicago alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $26,900.
    About Columbia College Chicago...
    Athletic Division
    —
    Athletic Conference
    —
    Address
    600 South Michigan
    Chicago, IL 60605
    Website
    colum.edu
    Work Here? Claim Your College

    Columbia College Chicago Rankings

    Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews.

    Admissions

    Acceptance Rate
    92%
    Application Deadline
    —
    SAT Range
    —
    ACT Range
    —
    Application Fee
    $50
    SAT/ACT
    Recommended
    High School GPA
    Required
    Early Decision/Early Action
    —

    Test Prep

    SAT and ACT Prep Options
    Learn More
    • Affordable, effective, and enjoyable online test prep
    • Guaranteed score improvement with smart feedback and progress tracking

    Cost

    Net Price
    $31,484/ year
    National
    $15,523
    Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.
    Average Total Aid Awarded
    $10,255/ year
    National
    $7,535
    Students Receiving Financial Aid
    88%

    Academics

    Professors
    B
    Based on faculty accomplishments, salary, student reviews, and additional factors.
    Student Faculty Ratio
    14:1
    Evening Degree Programs
    No
    83%
    of students agree that professors put a lot of effort into teaching their classes.143 responses
    58%
    of students agree that it is easy to get the classes they want.158 responses
    65%
    of students agree that the workload is easy to manage.155 responses
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    Majors

    Most Popular Majors
    • Cinematography and Video Production
      339 Graduates
    • Retail Management
      118 Graduates
    • Graphic Design
      108 Graduates
    • Music Management
      98 Graduates
    • Radio and Television
      98 Graduates
    • Creative Writing
      82 Graduates
    • Recording Arts Technician
      78 Graduates
    • Photography
      71 Graduates
    • Music History and Literature
      63 Graduates
    • Drama and Theatre Production
      62 Graduates

    Students

    Full-Time Enrollment
    6,436Undergrads
    Part-Time Undergrads
    591
    Undergrads Over 25
    6%
    Pell Grant
    36%
    Varsity Athletes
    —
    Poll
    What one word or phrase best describes the typical student at this school?
    Based on 100 responses
    Report
    • I describe a Columbia College student as... artsy!
      35%
    • All of the Above
      11%
    • Individualist
      10%
    • Unique, different from every other school
      9%
    • "Create Change"
      8%
    • Different
      6%
    • Special snowflakes
      6%

    Campus Life

    Freshmen Live On-Campus
    74%
    Poll
    91%
    of students say they don't have Greek life.139 responses
    Poll
    88%
    of students say no one pays attention to varsity sports.222 responses
    Poll
    What one word or phrase best describes your school?
    Based on 100 responses
    Report
    • Artistic
      53%
    • Passionate
      30%
    • Independent
      9%
    • Nonchalant
      5%
    • Exuberant
      1%
    • Home away from home
      1%
    • Underrated
      1%

    After College

    Median Earnings 6 Years After Graduation
    $34,400/ year
    National
    $33,028
    Graduation Rate
    44%
    National
    49%
    Employed 2 Years After Graduation
    92%
    National
    83%
    67%
    of students feel confident they will find a job in their field after graduation.89 responses
    Colleges like Columbia College Chicago
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    Columbia College Chicago Reviews

    2,534 reviews
    All Categories
    The best part about Columbia College was the campus... downtown Chicago! The campus was spread throughout the loop, but not too spread out that it takes forever to get to your next class. On your break between classes you could walk amongst the beautiful architecture of Chicago and study or eat lunch in Millennium Park if you wanted. If you love the city, you're going to love this school. I never had any issues with any of the professors, the classes were interesting (at least the classes that had to do with my major), and the administration was decent when compared to other schools. I feel that the tuition was a little high with it being classified as "college" instead of a "university". All in all, I am glad I chose Columbia for my BA in Graphic Design.
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    I liked this teacher who wouldn't mince words when he was trying to teach me how to improve on my storytelling skills as a writer and comic book artist. He's concrete and can back up his teachings with his talents.
    I like Columbia College's financial aid program called CAP. With this program I am able to do things I would not be able to do such as on occasion get something to eat, counseling or someone to talk to about anything, tutoring, and one occasion was able to see my first bulls game for free!
    However the tuition bill could always use some work.
    I love that the music composition degree at Columbia encompasses all aspects that makeup composition. The music department's philosophy is teaching students how to become modern musicians and composers in today's music industry. To accommodate this, they completely revised the music curriculum to focus on contemporary music exclusively. Although I appreciate the importance of writing contemporary music, I believe it is just as important to understand the evolution of music composition. Although there are limited opportunities to learn how about the music from the 18th and 19th centuries, I was happy to discover that private composition lessons can accommodate this academic goal. As I enter my sophomore year, I hope to see an equal balance between contemporary music and music written before the 1900s.