Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, IL · Private
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See the full analysis — freeAdmission rate
Columbia College Chicago admitted 75.2% of applicants university-wide (6,353 of 8,452).
| Cohort | Admit rate | Admitted | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|
| University-wide | 75.2% | 6,353 | 8,452 |
| In-state | 77.1% | 2,661 | 3,451 |
| Out-of-state | 79.0% | 3,068 | 3,883 |
| International applicants | 55.1% | 603 | 1,094 |
| Men | 74.2% | 2,328 | 3,137 |
| Women | 76.3% | 3,994 | 5,238 |
Of 6,353 admitted students, 959 enrolled (15.1% yield).
Columbia College Chicago Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024 — Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.
Test scores and GPA of admitted students
- GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
- 3.00–3.99
Testing policy: Test-blind (scores not considered)
Columbia College Chicago Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024 — Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.
Cost and financial aid
Published cost of attendance: $64,872/yr.
| Out-of-state tuition | $33,886 |
| Fees, housing, food, books & other | $30,986 |
| Sticker cost of attendance | $64,872/yr |
Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)
| Under $30k | $20,924 |
| $30k–48k | $21,423 |
| $48k–75k | $25,590 |
| $75k–110k | $31,677 |
| Over $110k | $36,436 |
US applicants
Need- and merit-based aid available.
- Presidential Scholarship — Up to $20,000 per year (Presidential)
- Dean's Scholarship — Up to $15,000 per year (Merit)
- Columbia Scholars Award — Up to $12,000 per year (Merit)
- Achievement Award — Up to $10,000 per year (Merit)
- Transfer Scholarship — Up to $10,000 per year (Merit)
- Achievement Scholarship — Up to $5,000 per year (Merit)
- Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship — $2,000 per year (Merit)
- Columbia College Grant — Varies (Need Based)
International applicants
Some aid available for internationals.
- Presidential Scholarship — Up to $20,000 per year (Presidential)
- Dean's Scholarship — Up to $15,000 per year (Merit)
- Columbia Scholars Award — Up to $12,000 per year (Merit)
- Achievement Award — Up to $10,000 per year (Merit)
- Transfer Scholarship — Up to $10,000 per year (Merit)
- Achievement Scholarship — Up to $5,000 per year (Merit)
- Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship — $2,000 per year (Merit)
- Columbia College Grant — Varies (Need Based)
- International Student Grant — Varies (Need Based)
Columbia College Chicago Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024
Application requirements
US applicants
- Official High School Transcript
- Writing Sample (Personal Statement)
- Portfolio/Audition/Interview
International applicants
- Official High School Transcript
- Writing Sample (Personal Statement)
- Portfolio/Audition/Interview
- English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
- GPA credential conversion
- Predicted Class XII marksheet
- Financial documentation (I-20)
Columbia College Chicago · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025
Essay prompts
Draft these in the free Essay Coach
Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 4, 2026
Graduate outcomes
- Median earnings
- $42,195
- Median earnings · 10 years after entry
- Graduation rate
- 51.5%
- Within 150% of normal time
- First-year retention
- 66%
- Return for year two · CDS Section B
- Median debt
- $25,000
- At graduation
Columbia College Chicago · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023 — Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.
Published rankings
- WSJ: #581
Deadlines
- 2027-08-01Regular Decision — Standard deadline
Columbia College Chicago Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C21–C22 · 2024
Academics and campus
Largest degree fields: Visual & performing arts (74%), English (5%), Physical sciences (3%).
Student–faculty ratio: 15:1 · 55% of class sections have under 20 students.
Columbia College Chicago Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024 — Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.