Great LakesUrbanPrivate4-yearVisual & PerformingLikely

Columbia College Chicago

Accessible admissions with broad enrollment.

Chicago, IL6,294 students
Acceptance Rate
75%
open admission
Median SAT
Net Price After Aid
$26.8k
Sticker $32.5k
Graduation Rate
48%
6-year, full-time

Columbia College Chicago is a private institution in Chicago, IL with an acceptance rate of 75% and 6,294 students. The average net price after financial aid is $26,788 per year.

About Columbia College Chicago

A private 4-year urban university in Chicago, IL.

Columbia College Chicago is a college in Chicago, IL. It enrolls roughly 6,294 students. The most recent acceptance rate is 75%.

Great LakesUrbanPrivate4-yearVisual & Performing
Acceptance Rate
75%
Open Admission
Total Enrollment
6,294
Medium
Retention
64%
First-years returning
Graduation Rate
48%
6-year, full-time

Your chances at this school

A clear-eyed view of how your profile compares to admitted students — and the things that would move your odds the most.

Acceptance Rate
75%
75 of every 100 applicants admitted
Your Chances
Sign in to see your personalized probability.
Admitted Student GPA
3.40
Average across admitted students

Accessible admissions with broad enrollment. Here is what would make your application as competitive as possible.

Things that would move your odds the most

  1. Maintain a GPA of 3.40 or higher
    Admitted students typically present grades at or above this level.
  2. Build a single deep extracurricular peak
    Depth beats breadth at selective schools — one nationally-visible accomplishment outperforms ten clubs.
  3. Strengthen one teacher recommendation
    A specific, personal letter from a teacher who knows your work moves the needle.

Probability is based on a model trained on historical admissions data. It is a guide, not a guarantee. Admissions decisions weigh essays, recommendations, and fit factors that aren't in the data.

Admissions

What it actually takes to get into Columbia College Chicago. Test scores, GPA, application requirements, and deadlines.

Admitted student profile

Range shown is the middle 50%.

SAT
composite, 1600 scale
ACT
composite, 36 scale
2025
23
average
GPA
weighted, 4.5 max
3.40
average

Cost & financial aid

Published costs can be misleading. Here's what families actually pay at Columbia College Chicago after grants and scholarships.

Sticker price
Tuition $32,520
Average net price after aid
$26,788
After grants and scholarships

Net price by family income

Average amount paid out of pocket — tuition, fees, and room & board minus all grant aid.

$0 – $30,000
$21,821
$30,001 – $48,000
$22,285
$48,001 – $75,000
$27,380
$75,001 – $110,000
N/A
$110,001 +
$36,054

Net price represents the average cost after grants and scholarships for students receiving federal financial aid.

Pell Grant Recipients
43%
Need-based federal grant
Take Federal Loans
57%
Avg loan $16,500 / year
Avg Grant Aid
Per receiving student / year

Academics & majors

Where students at Columbia College Chicago concentrate, and how the classroom experience scales.

Student : Faculty
Class-size proxy
Primary Focus
Visual & Performing
59% of degrees awarded
Retention
64%
First-years returning
A breakdown of the top majors by share of degrees awarded ships once we finish backfilling per-school program data.

Student body

Who attends Columbia College Chicago. Enrollment, diversity, and where students come from.

Race & ethnicity

  • White43%
  • Asian4%
  • Hispanic30%
  • Black19%
  • International4%

Gender

  • Female61%
  • Male39%
International
4%
Of total enrollment
Live on Campus
Undergraduate residential rate
Total Enrollment
6,294

Outcomes after graduation

What Columbia College Chicago graduates do next — and what they earn.

Median Earnings
$42.2k
10 years after enrollment
Employed at 2 yrs
Working or in grad school
Pursue Grad School
Within 5 years
Graduation Rate
48%
6-year, full-time

What this means

$42k is below the national bachelor's-graduate median at the 10-year mark, and a 48% graduation rate is below the national average.

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