DePaul vs Columbia College

DePaul University and Columbia College Chicago, both located in the vibrant city of Chicago, offer distinct educational experiences for prospective students. DePaul, a larger institution with a diverse student body, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a wider range of academic programs, including popular majors like business, nursing, and computer science. Columbia, on the other hand, is a smaller, more specialized college known for its strengths in the arts, media, and design. With a lower acceptance rate and a focus on creative fields, Columbia attracts students seeking a more intimate and immersive learning environment. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these two institutions, including graduation rates, student demographics, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Columbia College Chicago	DePaul University
Overview
Location	Chicago, Illinois	Chicago, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	62.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	95.6%	69.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60	$40
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	7,218	32,075
Total number of admissions given out	6,903	22,274
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,696	2,838
Yield rate	24.6%	12.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$48,698	$60,771
Average net price	$25,262	$31,872
Tuition	$26,610	$41,361
Room & board	$16,456	Room/dormitory: $10,647 Meal plan: $4,578
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $20,992	99.0% Average amount $25,282
Students receiving federal student loan	94.0% Average amount $6,068	47.0% Average amount $5,009
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $19,315	5.0% Average amount $18,848

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,493 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%	14,294 Men 45.8% Women 54.2%
Graduate students	243 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	7,376 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	46.1%	37.3%
International students	4.0%	5.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,158	2,719
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Indiana Michigan Minnesota Ohio	Illinois California Michigan Ohio Wisconsin

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology Communication and Journalism English Language and Literature Business	Business Computer and Information Science Visual & Performing Arts Communication and Journalism Education
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.9%	69.6%
Dropout rate	48.5%	10.5%
Transferred out	N/A	18.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $37,418 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $48,304 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,500 Year 2: $36,124 Year 3: $46,919 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $32,614 Year 2: $41,789 Year 3: $41,739 Movement and Mind-Body Therapies and Education (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,521 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $41,719 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,175 Year 2: $40,355 Year 3: $41,194 Graphic Communications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,857 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $40,498 American Sign Language (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,692 Year 2: $35,330 Year 3: $38,260 Journalism (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,841 Year 2: $30,635 Year 3: $37,241 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,669 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $37,111 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,065 Year 2: $29,737 Year 3: $36,271	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,909 Year 2: $100,096 Year 3: $109,948 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,821 Year 2: $93,076 Year 3: $106,341 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $82,374 Year 2: $99,547 Year 3: $105,164 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $83,120 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $101,886 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,090 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $98,092 Computer Programming (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,558 Year 2: $85,206 Year 3: $96,827 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,205 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $96,034 Human Computer Interaction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,116 Year 2: $77,213 Year 3: $92,462 Computer Software and Media Applications (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,831 Year 2: $86,550 Year 3: $92,108 Applied Mathematics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,007 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $85,312

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