Columbia College Chicago

Private, Four-years School Located in Chicago, IL

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How much is the Columbia College Chicago tuition? For the academic year 2023-2024, Columbia College Chicago's tuition & fees is $32,520.
With indirect costs not billed by school, such as room & boards and personal living expenses, the total cost of attendance for one academic year is $55,210 when a student lives on-campus.

Columbia College Chicago Tuition & Expenses

2022-2023 Rate
Tuition & Fees$32,520
Books & Supplies Costs$1,700
On-campus Room & Board$18,000
On-campus Expenses$2,990
Off-campus Room & Board$18,000
Off-campus Expenses$2,990
2023-2024 Projection
Tuition & Fees$31,026

How Much Does it Cost to Go to Columbia College Chicago for 4 Years?

For the class of 2027, who entering colleges in 2023, the 4 years tuition & fees is $146,512 at Columbia College Chicago. The estimated tuition rate is based on the changes over last 5 years. With room & board, books, and other personal expenses, the estimated 4 years costs of attendance is $250,365. After receiving financial aid including grants, scholarships, and/or student loans, the 4 years COA is down to $170,450.
The following table computes the 4 years tuition and COA by class of year.
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2023-24)$34,086$56,900$38,308
Sophomore (2024-25)$35,727$60,523$41,036
Junior (2025-26)$37,448$64,398$43,972
Senior (2026-27)$39,251$68,543$47,134
4 Years Total$146,512$250,365$170,450
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2024-25)$35,727$60,523$41,036
Sophomore (2025-26)$37,448$64,398$43,972
Junior (2026-27)$39,251$68,543$47,134
Senior (2027-28)$41,141$72,978$50,538
4 Years Total$153,567$266,443$182,680
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2025-26)$37,448$64,398$43,972
Sophomore (2026-27)$39,251$68,543$47,134
Junior (2027-28)$41,141$72,978$50,538
Senior (2028-29)$43,122$77,726$54,205
4 Years Total$160,962$283,646$195,849
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2026-27)$39,251$68,543$47,134
Sophomore (2027-28)$41,141$72,978$50,538
Junior (2028-29)$43,122$77,726$54,205
Senior (2029-30)$45,198$82,809$58,155
4 Years Total$168,712$302,056$210,032
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2027-28)$41,141$72,978$50,538
Sophomore (2028-29)$43,122$77,726$54,205
Junior (2029-30)$45,198$82,809$58,155
Senior (2030-31)$47,375$88,253$62,413
4 Years Total$176,836$321,766$225,311

Average Tuition By School Type and Comparison

Compared to four-years schools nationwide, Columbia College Chicago' tuition is higher than the average tuition of $20,937. Compared to private, four-years colleges in Illinois, its tuition is higher than the average tuition of $21,542.
In-StateOut-of-State
Columbia College Chicago$32,520
U.S. Four-years Colleges$18,672
Public Schools$7,199$12,960
Private Schools$20,937
Illinois Four-years Colleges$19,795
Public Schools$10,585$13,638
Private Schools$21,542

Compare Similar School's Tuition

The next table compares the tuition & fees between Columbia College Chicago and similar schools. The similar colleges are selected by school type & level (private, four-years), ranking, and comparison frequency by our users. The comparison is based on 2022-2023 tuition rate.
LocationUndergraduateGraduate
Columbia College ChicagoChicago, IL$32,520$2,464
Greenville UniversityGreenville, IL$30,598$8,784
Judson UniversityElgin, IL$30,910$18,708
Dominican UniversityRiver Forest, IL$37,844$19,500
McKendree UniversityLebanon, IL$34,070$9,450
Roosevelt UniversityChicago, IL$20,280$23,094
Rockford UniversityRockford, IL$37,300$14,060

Financial Aid and COA

At Columbia College Chicago, 6,007 students (93%) received grant or scholarship from the federal government, state or local government, the institution, and other sources. The average amount of grant/scholarship received is $17,738.
After receiving financial aid, the cost of attendance (COA) at Columbia College Chicago is $37,472 for students living on-campus and $37,472 for students living off-campus.
For beginning students (i.e. first-time freshmen), 1,655 students received any type of financial aid including grants/scholarship and student loans. The average amount of grant/scholarship for the first-time students is $18,020 and the average amount of student loans is $7,301.
The financial aid data is based on 2021-2022 statistics from IPEDS.
COA (on-campus)$55,210
COA (off-campus)$55,210
Tuition & Fees$32,520
Indirect Costs (on-campus)$22,690
Indirect Costs (off-campus)$22,690
COA (on-campus) after Receiving Aid$37,472
COA (off-campus) after Receiving Aid$37,472
Average Financial Aid$17,738
Type of AidNumber Receiving AidPercent Receiving AidAverage Amount of Aid Received
Grant or Scholarship6,00793%$17,738
Pell Grants2,63141%$4,818
Federal Student Loan3,78358%$6,539
Type of AidNumber Receiving AidPercent Receiving AidAverage Amount of Aid Received
Any Financial Aid1,65599%-
Grants or Scholarships1,65599%$18,020
Federal Grants85651%$5,738
Pell Grants78647%$4,915
Other Federal Grants30618%$3,426
State/Local Grants59135%$5,040
Institutional Grants1,65098%$13,293
Student Loan Aid1,02061%$7,301
Federal Student Loans94356%$5,352
Other Student Loans25915%$9,269

Admission Stats and Requirements to Apply

Columbia College Chicago's acceptance rate is 95.64%. A total of 7,218 applicants applied to and 6,903 students were accepted. Of the admitted students, 1,696 enrolled finally, and the yield (i.e. enrollment rate) is 24.57%.
To apply to Columbia College Chicago, 1 items are required - Secondary school record and 4 items are recommended to submit - Secondary school GPA, Completion of college-preparatory program, Admission test scores and TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).
TotalMenWomen
Applicants7,2182,642$4,576
Admitted6,9032,478$4,425
Enrolled1,696677$1,019
Acceptance Rate95.64%93.79%96.70%
Yield (Enrollment Rate)24.57%27.32%23.03%
Secondary school GPARecommended
Secondary school rankConsidered But Not Required
Secondary school recordRequired
Completion of college-preparatory programRecommended
RecommendationsConsidered But Not Required
Formal demonstration of competenciesConsidered But Not Required
Admission test scoresRecommended
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)Recommended
Other Test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)Neither Required Nor Recommended

Student Population

Columbia College Chicago has a total of 6,646 students including 6,424 undergraduate and 222 graduate students. By gender, there are 2,688 male students and 4,048 female students attending Columbia College Chicago. The school offers online degree programs and 69 students enrolled online exclusively (1.04% of all students).
TotalMaleFemale
Total6,736 2,6884,048
Undergraduate6,493 2,5943,899
Graduate243 94149

Directory & Academic Information

Directory Information
Address600 South Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL
Phone312-369-1000
WEBwww.colum.edu
Degree & Programs
DegreeUndergraduate, Graduate
Program Offered73 Programs
Graduate Program Offered17 Graduate Programs
Academic Stats
Acceptance Rate94.77%
Yield22.01%
Student Population6,646
Graduation Rate47%
Retention Rate67% (Full-time), 13% (Part-time)
Students to Faculty Ratio Rate15 to 1
Faculty & Staffs
Number of Faculties260 (Full-time), 571 (Part-time)
Number of Staffs732 (Full-time), 665 (Part-time)
Average Faculty Salary$78,719
Average Staff Salary$73,516