Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, IL, USA

Admissions

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Key Admission Stats

Institution Type
Private
  • Coed

Need Blind

This school does not consider an applicant’s financial situation when deciding admission

Level of Institution
4 Year
Campus Setting
Major city
0
100
96%
Acceptance Rate
7,218
Students Applied
89%
Transfer Acceptance Rate
491
Transfer Students Admitted

Admissions Requirements

SAT
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No
ACT
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No
SAT Subject Tests
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No
AP Course Credit
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Yes
Dual Enrollment
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Yes
Transcript
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Yes

Important Deadlines

Application TypeApplication DeadlineReply Deadline
Fall Regular DecisionAugust 1June 1
Test Optional
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Yes
Application Fee
$25
Fee waivers available
Rolling Admissions
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No

Admitted Student Stats

In-State Students
53%
Out-Of-State Students
40%
US States Represented
51
Countries Represented
44
Average ACT Composite: 23
0
36
Average SAT Composite: 1117
0
1600
SAT Percentiles

Math
25th
480
75th
600
Reading
25th
520
75th
634
3.40
Average GPA
Students Enrolled By GPA

3.75+
27%
3.50 - 3.74
17%
3.25 - 3.49
16%
3.00 - 3.24
14%
2.50 - 2.99
20%
2.00 - 2.49
5%
Students Enrolled By Class Rank

Top 10%
10
Top 25%
32
Top 50%
64

Admissions Resources

Admissions: visit page
Admissions Email: [email protected]
Admissions Telephone: 312-369-7130
For International Student Services: visit page
For Students with Disabilities: visit page
For Veteran Services: visit page

What Students Are Saying

Definitely search for internships and other things to gain experience in your profession. This school wants you to get out there and make a name for yourself. Get out of your dorm room work hard and experience the city, the school, and just enjoy your time here. It is up to you if you want your name out there.
Rey from Nashville, TN
Make sure to make friends both in and outside of your major. Conferring with other students while doing homework and group study sessions are a great way to understand material and get homework done. Having these connections will not only help getting assignments done, but after you graduate these friends can help get you jobs in your field if you decide to go a more freelance route.
Also, make sure to take advantage of Student Instruction sessions. In these, students who took the class previously go over the same material from a student perspective. Even if you understand everything the teacher said, it's still a great way to get a well-rounded understanding from the basics (and it forces you to study for the tests and quizzes).
Go to the Harold Washington Library near the University Center and CVS. In my opinion, its nine floors are far superior to the school's library. As an added bonus the massive amounts of research material, there are movies and CDs you can check out on the ground level, sheet music and practice rooms on the 8th floor, and a beautiful lounge on the top level if you take the escalator toward the back of the building. It's a great place to study and use the free wifi. Oh, and did I meantion that you can check out the movies and sheet music free of charge with a library card! Just make sure to return them on time.
Sarah from Burlington, WI
On-campus housing is very expensive and not really worth it. No strong community is created in the dorms and I find that you will not really get to know that many more people that way.

Prospective students need to understand that while Columbia is an art school, classes still require a lot of time and energy. Students should not simply choose Columbia because they think that it is going to be easy.
Laurel from Woodinville, WA
Work really hard. I know thats cliche but its for real.
Ariana from Chicago, IL
Make sure you are serious about the career you intend to pursue. At Columbia the courses are very major-oriented and are difficult to transfer to other major programs.
Lauren from Chicago, IL
If you plan on coming to Columbia , be ready to get your eyes opened to more ways to view things and different ways to get people to know who you are and what you do. It has a lot of networking going on in this environment so it is very easy to find people who is really passionate about doing things that you are passionate about and being open to new things. You wont be disappointed !
Courtney from Saint Louis, MO
Keep an open mind, and don't be deterred by the art school exclusive labeling. Columbia is a college for the public, not just painters and fashion designers. If you dont know what your major is yet, there is time to find out.
Stephanie from Brooklyn, NY
Don't buy the administration's pretty presentations. I love Columbia, but make sure you dig deeper and don't fall for anything they might say to get you to attend. Do the research yourself.
Selena from Orlando, FL
Know what you're getting into. You will live and breathe your art. It can be a lot more work than you may think.
Catherine from Oak Park, IL