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Private nonprofit · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Columbia College Chicago

Students comparing Columbia College Chicago on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Chicago, Illinois5,368 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 72Private nonprofitUrban campusResearch university

The short answer

Columbia College Chicago: U.S. News ranks it #128 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #845 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #500 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #1416 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 5,368 undergraduates, admits 89.5% of applicants, and posts a 51.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $34,088; aid recipients pay $26,598 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $42,195.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
89.5%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$26,598

51% below the $54,717 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$42,195

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
51.5%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$25,000

Below the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedColumbia College Chicago reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Columbia College ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (Midwest)#128of 165Regional univ. (Midwest)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#845of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#500of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#1416of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Columbia College's position moves 46 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Columbia College

Columbia College Chicago is a private nonprofit institution in Chicago, Illinois. Federal data show 66.0% first-year retention and a 15:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $26,598 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $54,717 sticker cost against $26,598 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Columbia College Chicago on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$34,088

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
46.0%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$20,629

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $54,717 a year, but the average family pays $26,598 — a 51% difference. 46.0% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Columbia College's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    15:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    66.0%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    5,368

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Columbia College: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $34,088 and on-campus room and board is $20,629, for a published total of $54,717 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $26,598.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 89.5%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

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