See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.
Chicago, Illinois
Columbia College Chicago is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Chicago, Illinois. It enrolls 5,368 students (a large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
Official website: colum.edu
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (4-Year Selective). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
With an acceptance rate of 89.5%, Columbia College Chicago is broadly accessible to qualified applicants.
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Columbia College Chicago is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
The real cost of attending Columbia College Chicago isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $26,598 per year. That's in line with the typical net price for private nonprofit colleges nationally.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Application fee: $25 (one-time, due at submission)
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
55% of full-time students who enrolled at Columbia College Chicago graduate within six years, and 65% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Columbia College Chicago earn a median of $42,195 ten years after first enrolling. That's close to the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Columbia College Chicago is home to 5,368 students, a large student community.
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
Where students live, learn, and connect at Columbia College Chicago. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Columbia College Chicago offers a varied set of programs: 31 distinct programs across 11 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Columbia College Chicago is 15:1, close to the national average.
230 instructional faculty across 4 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
| Rank | Faculty Count | Share | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Professors | 43 | 19% | $105,328 |
| Associate Professors | 107 | 47% | $84,708 |
| Assistant Professors | 27 | 12% | $72,882 |
| Lecturers | 53 | 23% | $71,604 |
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Columbia College Chicago tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Columbia College Chicago.
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
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