About Columbia

the college campus and the Chicago skyline on a sunny day,

A destination for innovators for 135 years and located in the heart of downtown Chicago’s Cultural Mile,  Columbia College Chicago is a private, nonprofit school for creatives that offers a distinctive curriculum that blends creative and media arts, liberal arts, and business in 40 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Columbia students graduate career-ready, with creative and critical thinking skills, real-world problem-solving abilities, standout bodies of work, and industry connections to fuel their professional journeys and the creative economy.

From day one, students jump into their chosen work and learn from working professionals who know what’s relevant and have extensive industry connections that translate to career success. Our students graduate prepared for careers they never imagined entering as well as professions that may not have even existed when they started school. We train them for what employers expect, but also prepare them to adapt to the unexpected. We pride ourselves on supporting and embracing every way of being and creating.

A survey of 2023 graduates found that 96 percent were employed or achieving success in their creative practice within a year, with nearly 8 in 10 alumni reporting their employment at the 12-month mark aligned with their long-term career goals. 

Columbia alumni go on to shape and reshape industries in fields as varied as film and television, fashion, music business, video game design, journalism, and finance. Our alumni run movie studios and record labels; win Academy Awards, Pulitzers, Emmys, GRAMMYs, and National Book Awards; fill airwaves, concert halls, museums, and theaters; and are the forces behind investment funds, festivals, international consultancies, start-ups, humanitarian organizations, Michelin-starred restaurants, nonprofits, and government offices. 

The Value of a Columbia Degree

Creative careers start at Columbia College Chicago.  At Columbia, students learn from working professionals; they know what’s relevant and have extensive industry connections that translate to career success. Our curriculum is designed for collaboration across disciplines, and students are immersed in practice-based learning from day one.   
 
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Tuition and Financial Aid

Columbia’s undergraduate tuition and fees–$33,886 for the '25-'26 academic year.

We offer generous financial aid programs to help students cover the cost of their education at Columbia College Chicago. The proof is in the numbers of our most recent academic year: 


Academics

Student Life

The city is a major part of student life at Columbia. Chicago is a city of more than 200 neighborhoods, each having its unique identity and sense of community. Columbia’s campus is in the South Loop, known for its colleges, cultural institutions, and proximity to Chicago’s majestic Grant Park and Lake Michigan. Students can explore and sink their teeth into the vast cultural and professional opportunities that abound in this world-class city.