Columbia College Chicago

Private · Moderately Selective · IL

Photo: Beyond My Ken (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationIL · Midwest

SettingUrban

Undergrads5,368

Student:faculty15:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate41.9%

6-yr grad rate51.5%

Drop-out rate34%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$34k

Out-of-state tuition$34k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity60.5%

Gender diversity60.4%

International4%

Identity—

Overview

Columbia College Chicago is a private arts and media college in the South Loop, built entirely around creative fields rather than a traditional liberal arts curriculum. Film, music, design, photography, journalism, comedy writing, and game development are all offered as serious professional tracks, and the college treats the city of Chicago itself as an extension of campus.

Academics

Instruction is portfolio- and industry-driven rather than exam-based, with faculty who are frequently working professionals in their field alongside teaching. Comedy writing and performance draw on Chicago's improv scene, and film and television programs benefit from the city's genuinely active production industry.

Campus & student life

Columbia has no traditional enclosed campus — its buildings are woven into the South Loop neighborhood, and students rely on the city itself, including its public transit and cultural institutions, for daily life more than a self-contained quad. Housing is a mix of college residence halls and independent city living.

Getting in

Admission for most majors emphasizes a portfolio, audition, or writing sample as much as or more than grades, reflecting the college's creative-field focus.

Worth knowing

Students should know Columbia's model trades a conventional campus and broad liberal-arts core for deep, early immersion in a specific creative field — a good fit for a student already committed to a specific artistic or media path, less so for one still exploring.

colum.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate89.5%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot used

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying