Graduates of Columbia College Chicago earn median 4-year earnings of $47,092, placing Columbia College Chicago in the 8.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,590 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Columbia College Chicago in the 21.7 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Columbia College Chicago #1234 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Columbia College Chicago's concentration in visual and performing arts. Design and Applied Arts is the largest program with 239 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $48,601, and Azimuth ranks the program 0.9x the national benchmark for the field per the program-ranking methodology. The Graphic Communications program graduates 209 students earning $43,970, while Film/Video and Photographic Arts and Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft round out the top programs with 176 and 144 graduates respectively. The institution's program portfolio emphasizes creative fields where early-career earnings vary widely by specialization and market demand, and Columbia College Chicago's outcomes reflect both the creative economy's opportunities and the importance of major choice within the arts.
Graduates of Columbia College Chicago earn median 4-year earnings of $47,092, placing Columbia College Chicago in the 8.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,590 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Columbia College Chicago in the 21.7 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Columbia College Chicago #1234 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Columbia College Chicago's concentration in visual and performing arts. Design and Applied Arts is the largest program with 239 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $48,601, and Azimuth ranks the program 0.9x the national benchmark for the field per the program-ranking methodology. The Graphic Communications program graduates 209 students earning $43,970, while Film/Video and Photographic Arts and Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft round out the top programs with 176 and 144 graduates respectively. The institution's program portfolio emphasizes creative fields where early-career earnings vary widely by specialization and market demand, and Columbia College Chicago's outcomes reflect both the creative economy's opportunities and the importance of major choice within the arts.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of Columbia College Chicago earn median 4-year earnings of $47,092, placing Columbia College Chicago in the 8.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,590 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Columbia College Chicago in the 21.7 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Columbia College Chicago #1234 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Columbia College Chicago's concentration in visual and performing arts. Design and Applied Arts is the largest program with 239 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $48,601, and Azimuth ranks the program 0.9x the national benchmark for the field per the program-ranking methodology. The Graphic Communications program graduates 209 students earning $43,970, while Film/Video and Photographic Arts and Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft round out the top programs with 176 and 144 graduates respectively. The institution's program portfolio emphasizes creative fields where early-career earnings vary widely by specialization and market demand, and Columbia College Chicago's outcomes reflect both the creative economy's opportunities and the importance of major choice within the arts.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Columbia College Chicago's program mix is anchored in Visual & Performing Arts, media production, and creative technology — a portfolio shaped by the institution's identity as a specialized arts and media college in a major creative hub. Design and Applied Arts is the largest program with 239 graduates, followed by Graphic Communications, Film/Video and Photographic Arts, Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, and Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management. Across ranked programs serving roughly 1,262 students annually, the institution's strength concentrates in creative and media-adjacent fields where four-year earnings reflect direct labor-market outcomes. The earnings pattern reflects Columbia's positioning as a specialized creative institution. Radio, Television, and Digital Communication graduates earn median four-year earnings of $54,357, the highest at the institution, while Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management graduates earn $50,592 and Design and Applied Arts graduates earn $48,601. Design and Applied Arts combines substantial cohort scale with median four-year earnings of $48,601, anchoring the institution's economic profile. The concentration of graduates in creative and media fields — including Graphic Communications, Film/Video and Photographic Arts, and Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft — reflects Columbia's distinctive program portfolio and employer relationships in Chicago's media and entertainment sectors. These programs represent high-mobility pathways where graduates enter the creative workforce directly, with earnings reflecting national and regional labor-market demand for media, design, and performance professionals.
Lower quartile, 10-year field
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of Columbia College Chicago earn median 4-year earnings of $47,092, placing Columbia College Chicago in the 8.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,590 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Columbia College Chicago in the 21.7 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Columbia College Chicago #1234 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Columbia College Chicago's concentration in visual and performing arts. Design and Applied Arts is the largest program with 239 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $48,601, and Azimuth ranks the program 0.9x the national benchmark for the field per the program-ranking methodology. The Graphic Communications program graduates 209 students earning $43,970, while Film/Video and Photographic Arts and Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft round out the top programs with 176 and 144 graduates respectively. The institution's program portfolio emphasizes creative fields where early-career earnings vary widely by specialization and market demand, and Columbia College Chicago's outcomes reflect both the creative economy's opportunities and the importance of major choice within the arts.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
