Your college, your career.
There’s so much more to Columbia College Chicago than what we could put in the folder you’re holding right now :
Our degree programs that prepare you for professional success
Our city where you can get connected to opportunities in your field
Our campus where you’re surrounded by faculty and fellow students who are as driven to pursue their passions as you are
And, of course, the creative career you’ll be ready for when you graduate
According to surveys of the graduating class of 2023:
98% are employed, continuing their education, or achieving success their creative practice
65% of bachelor’s degree recipients completed at least one internship while enrolled at Columbia
So let’s dive in, shall we? We’ll see you on the next page.
OUR COMMITMENT
At Columbia College Chicago, we prepare our students to succeed in creative careers. We do this with a curriculum that emphasizes the ways business and technology intersect with creative practice.
We do it with a faculty and a campus that are connected to a city where industries are eager to hire creative talent.
We do it by embracing human and disciplinary diversity because we know that encountering new perspectives will always strengthen creative work.
Jewel Baker ’24 Film and Television, BA
“Having core curriculum classes in my schedule educates me far beyond my major, while also teaching me useful business and industry skills.”
OUR CLASSROOMS
With more than 100 majors and minors to choose from, you can discover and follow a path that’s all your own. Columbia College Chicago offers a diverse array of classrooms, studios, labs, and social spaces, all created with our students and their professional needs in mind.
Our degree programs encompass all aspects of the visual, performing, and media arts, communication, design, fashion, and business and entrepreneurship. We prepare our students to be the driving force behind the next cultural moment which includes understanding how technology and commerce intersect with the creative industries to which they aspire.
OUR CULTURE
Columbia College Chicago is intensely pragmatic about creativity. We understand that for our students to be successful after graduation, they need to not only understand their craft, but also be able to leverage it in the real world. This means being able to take the creative concept and translate it into the time and money required to execute it to pitch an idea, read and understand a contract, manage a budget, and collaborate with others in ways that balance the idealistic with the practical.
We want our students to explore all the ways creativity can manifest itself and to understand that it isn’t just something that’s “nice to have,” it is essential to the human experience and your professional success.
Kamarulzaman ’23 Music Technology, BS
“Just having that friend group you can be chaotic and artistic with it makes all the difference in college. And those are the kinds of friends you’ll find at Columbia. We have a different kind of people here.”
Sabrina Schoenberg ’23 Acting, BA
“It doesn’t feel like you’re at school it feels like I’m in the real world. I live in Chicago next to so many real-life things. I’m not just in a school bubble.”
OUR CAMPUS
Chicago is in our name for a reason, and our students make the most of their city. You’ll have access to museums, theaters, concert venues, boutiques, and galleries right outside your door. Whatever your ambition artist, entrepreneur, game designer, writer, actor Chicago is the place for you to start building a network of collaborators and dive into your career before you even graduate.
Our South Loop campus will be your home base. In between classes, you’ll stroll the Wabash Arts Corridor, named one of the ten best arts districts in the country. You’ll work in facilities like our Media Production Center and Fabrication Studio designed to help students explore, practice, collaborate, make productive mistakes, and bring their visions to life.
And in between, you’ll relax and build community in our Student Center or in one of our four residence halls located just blocks from campus.
LEARN MORE
Kat
LEARN MORE
Music Center
The Columbia Chronicle Newsroom
Media Production Center
Asha Ward ’21
Stand-up Comedian Featured on Netflix and Comedy Central
Asha is a stand-up comedian, actor and writer based in New York. She graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2021 with a BA in Comedic Writing and Performance. She currently writes for Saturday Night Live and joined the 48th season as the show’s youngest ever writer.
Mary Kate Ashe ’19
Accessibility Professional
Mary Kate is an accessibility professional known for her expertise in design, artistry and event coordination. As the head of accessibility programs at SXSW/SXSW EDU and the Chicago International Film Festival, she has spearheaded initiatives to enhance inclusivity and accessibility within the cultural and entertainment spheres.
Evrod Cassimy ’06
NBC Chicago Anchor
Evrod joined NBC 5 Chicago News in 2022. He graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BA degree in Television Broadcast Journalism. Evrod started his career in journalism as an intern for NBC 5.
OUR COST
We know that cost is a major consideration for every student and family. At Columbia, we’re committed to doing everything we can to connect our students with financial resources that can make us an affordable option.
Columbia’s tuition and fees for the 2024–2025 academic year are $34,088.
We’d invite you to compare that with the 2024–2025 tuition rates at other private colleges with programs in creative fields:
Christian Sprenger ’07
Award-Winning Cinematographer, Producer, and Director
Christian is an award-winning cinematographer, producer, and director, widely praised for his unique visual style, and most well known for his defining long form work on FX’s Atlanta, HBOMax’s Station Eleven, and Amazon Studios’ Guava Island. He holds five Emmy nominations and three wins for Outstanding Cinematography and a 2023 ASC Award nomination.
Frank Waln ’14
Award-Winning Sicangu Lakota Multi-Genre Music Artist
Frank is an award-winning Sicangu Lakota multigenre music artist, public speaker and educator. He holds a BA in Audio Arts and Acoustics from Columbia College Chicago. He has showcased his work at prominent venues such as the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, the Linden Museum in Germany and the Kennedy Center.
Alexandra Wylder ’14
Buyer at ULTA Beauty
Alexandra is a buyer at ULTA Beauty, the largest beauty retailer in the United States. She has a BA in Merchandising from Columbia College Chicago. She has worked for many retailers throughout her career from local Chicago boutiques to global brands such as Anthropologie.
But there are ways to reduce that number and Columbia is here to help.
Columbia offers scholarships to incoming students based on academic merit, financial need, and artistic talent.*
The average first-year student in Fall 2023 received $16,468 in scholarships—or $65,872 over four years of enrollment.
Many of our students are eligible for Federal and State grants to support enrollment. Some students and families offset the cost through Federal loans like the Stafford and PLUS programs. Hundreds of Columbia students earn additional money through on-campus employment. Finally, Columbia offers payment plans that can spread your remaining costs our over the full calendar year.
*Portfolio and audition requirements and deadlines can vary by program. The FAFSA is only available to US Citizens and permanent residents; other students should ask their admissions representative about alternatives.
Read more about how Columbia alums are shaping their creative careers!
Use our Net Price Calculator to get a picture of your scholarship and aid eligibility at Columbia!
