College · Private nonprofit · Chicago, IL · City
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, IL
Hispanic-serving
Admit rate89%
6-yr median pay$33k
Net price / yr$27k
Undergrad size5,368
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $27k/yr for a shot at a $33k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 89% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid.
If you get in
5,368 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $52k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $27k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$208k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$106k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$101k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback3.3x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $34.1k
- Room & board
- $20.6k
- Books & supplies
- $1,900
How students pay for it.
Pell grants46%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans56%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$25k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $8k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
1-yr retention65%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr52%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$33k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$42k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out28%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- City
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 5,368
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Region
- Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
- Carnegie class
- Master's Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
- Size & setting
- Four-year · medium · primarily residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Higher Learning Commission
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White40%
- Hispanic28%
- Black19%
- Two or more races5%
- International4%
- Asian4%
- Unknown1%
First-gen students25%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time4%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Veterans0%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$49k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 26
What you can study.