What families actually pay
Average yearly net price after grants, all students, by family income
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard · data snapshot October 2, 2026
AP credit
Most-taken exams, lowest score that earns credit| Exam | Min score | Columbia College Chicago course | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calculus AB | 3 | 4 credits MATH 220 Calculus I | |
| Calculus BC | 3 | 4 credits MATH 220 Calculus I | |
| Biology | 3 | 4 credits BIOL 101 Introductory Biology | |
| Chemistry | 3 | 4 credits CHEM 201 General Chemistry I | |
| Physics 1 | 3 | 4 credits PHYS 220 Fundamentals of Physics I | |
| English Language and Composition | 3 | 3 credits ENGL 111 Foundations of 21st Writing | |
| English Literature and Composition | 3 | 3 credits LITR 101 Intro to Literature | |
| United States History | 3 | 3 credits HIST 151 US History: To 1877 |
Show all 41 exams and every score level
| Exam | Min score | Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calculus AB | 3 | 4 credits MATH 220 Calculus I | |
| Calculus BC | 3 | 4 credits MATH 220 Calculus I | |
| Calculus BC | 4 | 8 credits MATH 220 Calculus I and MATH 221 Calculus II | |
| Biology | 3 | 4 credits BIOL 101 Introductory Biology | |
| Biology | 4 | 8 credits BIOL 101 Introductory Biology and Core Elective | |
| Chemistry | 3 | 4 credits CHEM 201 General Chemistry I | |
| Chemistry | 4 | 8 credits CHEM 201 General Chemistry I and CHEM…8 credits CHEM 201 General Chemistry I and CHEM 202 General Chemistry II | |
| Physics 1 | 3 | 4 credits PHYS 220 Fundamentals of Physics I | |
| English Language and Composition | 3 | 3 credits ENGL 111 Foundations of 21st Writing | |
| English Literature and Composition | 3 | 3 credits LITR 101 Intro to Literature | |
| United States History | 3 | 3 credits HIST 151 US History: To 1877 | |
| United States History | 4 | 6 credits HIST 151 US History: To 1877 and HIST…6 credits HIST 151 US History: To 1877 and HIST 152 US History: Since 1877 | |
| Psychology | 3 | 3 credits PSYC 101 Introduction to Psychology | |
| Statistics | 3 | 3 credits MATH 205 Intro to Statistics | |
| Computer Science A | 3 | 3 credits INMD 102 Fundamentals of Interaction | |
| Macroeconomics | 3 | 3 credits Historical and Cultural Understanding…3 credits Historical and Cultural Understanding or BUSE 210 Economics for Creatives | |
| Microeconomics | 3 | 3 credits Historical and Cultural Understanding…3 credits Historical and Cultural Understanding or BUSE 210 Economics for Creatives | |
| World History: Modern | 3 | 3 credits Historical and Cultural Understanding | |
| World History: Modern | 4 | 3 credits Historical and Cultural Understanding…3 credits Historical and Cultural Understanding and 3 credits Collegewide Elective | |
| Environmental Science | 3 | 4 credits SCIE 205 Environmental Science | |
| Physics 2 | 3 | 4 credits PHYS 220 Fundamentals of Physics I | |
| European History | 3 | 3 credits HIST 123 Modern Europe | |
| European History | 4 | 6 credits HIST 122 Medieval Culture and HIST 123…6 credits HIST 122 Medieval Culture and HIST 123 Modern Europe | |
| Human Geography | 3 | 3 credits Historical and Cultural Understanding | |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 3 | 6 credits SPAN 101 Spanish I and SPAN 102 Spanish II | |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 4 | 9 credits SPAN 101 Spanish I, SPAN 102 Spanish…9 credits SPAN 101 Spanish I, SPAN 102 Spanish II, and SPAN 201 Spanish III | |
| United States Government and Politics | 3 | 3 credits POLS 110 Politics, Government, and Society | |
| Computer Science Principles | 3 | 3 credits Core Elective | |
| Computer Science Principles | 4 | 3 credits PROG 102 Code | |
| Art History | 3 | 6 credits ARTH 110 Visual Arts Survey…6 credits ARTH 110 Visual Arts Survey: Prehistoric to 1800 and ARTH 111 Visual Arts Survey: 1800 to Present | |
| Music Theory | 3 | 3 credits Collegewide Elective | |
| Music Theory | 4 | 6 credits MUSC 103 Theory for Musical Theatre and…6 credits MUSC 103 Theory for Musical Theatre and Collegewide Elective (Musical Theatre majors) or 6 credits MUSC 109 Foundations of Music Supplement (School of Audio and Music majors) | |
| 2-D Art and Design | 3 | 3 credits ARTS 106 2D: Color + Design (Exams…3 credits ARTS 106 2D: Color + Design (Exams taken in 2022 or later) | |
| 3-D Art and Design | 3 | 3 credits ARTS 105 3D: Objects + Space (Exams…3 credits ARTS 105 3D: Objects + Space (Exams taken in 2022 or later) | |
| African American Studies | 3 | Historical and Cultural Understanding | |
| Calculus BC: AB Subscore | 3 | 4 credits MATH 220 Calculus I | |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 3 | 6 credits CHIN 101 Chinese I and CHIN 102 Chinese II | |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 4 | 9 credits CHIN 101 Chinese I, CHIN 102 Chinese II…9 credits CHIN 101 Chinese I, CHIN 102 Chinese II and Aesthetics and Creative Expression | |
| Comparative Government and Politics | 3 | 3 credits Historical and Cultural Understanding | |
| Drawing | 3 | 3 credits ARTS 110 Drawing | |
| French Language and Culture | 3 | 6 credits FREN 101 French I and FREN 102 French II | |
| French Language and Culture | 4 | 9 credits FREN 101 French I, FREN 102 French II…9 credits FREN 101 French I, FREN 102 French II, and FREN 201 French III | |
| German Language and Culture | 3 | 6 credits Aesthetics and Creative Expression and…6 credits Aesthetics and Creative Expression and Collegewide Elective | |
| German Language and Culture | 4 | 9 credits Aesthetics and Creative Expression and…9 credits Aesthetics and Creative Expression and Collegewide Electives | |
| Italian Language and Culture | 3 | 6 credits ITAL 101 Italian I and ITAL 102 Italian II | |
| Italian Language and Culture | 4 | 9 credits ITAL 101 Italian I, ITAL 102 Italian…9 credits ITAL 101 Italian I, ITAL 102 Italian II, and Aesthetics and Creative Expression | |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 3 | 6 credits JAPN 101 Japanese I and JAPN 102 Japanese II | |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 4 | 9 credits JAPN 101 Japanese I, JAPN 102 Japanese…9 credits JAPN 101 Japanese I, JAPN 102 Japanese II, and JAPN 201 Japanese III | |
| Latin | 3 | 6 credits Aesthetics and Creative Expression and…6 credits Aesthetics and Creative Expression and Collegewide Elective | |
| Latin | 4 | 9 credits Aesthetics and Creative Expression and…9 credits Aesthetics and Creative Expression and Collegewide Electives | |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 3 | 4 credits Scientific Discovery | |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 3 | 4 credits Scientific Discovery | |
| Precalculus | 3 | 3 credits MATH 210 College Algebra | |
| Precalculus | 4 | 3 credits MATH 215 Precalculus | |
| Research | 3 | 3 credits Collegewide Elective | |
| Seminar | 3 | 3 credits Collegewide Elective | |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 3 | 6 credits Aesthetics and Creative Expression and…6 credits Aesthetics and Creative Expression and Collegewide Elective | |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 4 | 9 credits Aesthetics and Creative Expression and…9 credits Aesthetics and Creative Expression and Collegewide Electives |
Source: catalog.colum.edu · checked September 19, 2026
Biggest majors
| Major | Graduates |
|---|---|
| Cinematography and Film/Video Production | 236 |
| Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects | 110 |
| Fashion/Apparel Design | 94 |
| Graphic Design | 70 |
| Acting | 58 |
| Photography | 56 |
| Illustration | 55 |
| Acoustics | 51 |
Show the other 37 majors
| Game and Interactive Media Design | 45 |
| Music Management | 39 |
| Creative Writing | 36 |
| Music | 35 |
| Marketing/Marketing Management | 32 |
| Musical Theatre | 31 |
| Interior Design | 29 |
| Fine/Studio Arts | 28 |
| Comedy Writing and Performance | 26 |
| Journalism | 26 |
| Radio and Television | 22 |
| Dance | 20 |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 16 |
| Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts | 15 |
| Advertising | 14 |
| Communication | 14 |
| Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia | 13 |
| Music, Other | 13 |
| Fine and Studio Arts Management | 13 |
| Recording Arts Technology/Technician | 11 |
| Technical Theatre/Theatre Design and Technology | 11 |
| Sign Language Interpretation and Translation | 9 |
| Computer Programming/Programmer | 8 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | 7 |
| Public Relations/Image Management | 7 |
| Photojournalism | 7 |
| Art History, Criticism and Conservation | 5 |
| English Language and Literature | 5 |
| Music Theory and Composition | 4 |
| Deaf Studies | 4 |
| Music Technology | 3 |
| Documentary Production | 3 |
| Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art | 2 |
| Intermedia/Multimedia | 2 |
| General Studies | 2 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other | 1 |
| Retail Management | 1 |
Bachelor’s graduates, first major, most recent year · Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, IPEDS · data snapshot October 2, 2026
Sports and campus life
Faith groups
Cru, Hillel
Also
Study abroad
Sources: U.S. Dept. of Education athletics data (EADA), cru.org · checked September 4, 2026 · data snapshot October 2, 2026
The place
Setting
City, large
Federal locale classification
Metro area
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
9,408,576 people
Big-city metro (1 million+)
Yes
More about the place
Nearest airport
Chicago Midway International (MDW)
Nearest hub airport
Chicago Midway International (MDW)
Walkability
EPA walkability index 17.2 of 20
Elevation
594 ft
Time zone
Central
January low
20°F
July high
81°F
Annual snowfall
38.8 in
Days at 90°F or higher
13 per year
One-bedroom fair market rent
$2,670 per month
Sources: U.S. Dept. of Education (IPEDS locale), U.S. Census metro estimates, NOAA climate normals, HUD fair market rents, EPA walkability · data snapshot October 2, 2026
Colleges nearby
- Roosevelt University0 mi
- East-West University0 mi
- DePaul University0 mi
- National Louis University0 mi
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago0 mi
- University of Illinois Chicago1 mi
Straight-line distance between campuses
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