North Park University vs Columbia College

North Park University and Columbia College Chicago, both located in the vibrant city of Chicago, offer distinct educational experiences for prospective students. North Park, a private Christian university, boasts a higher acceptance rate (85%) compared to Columbia's more selective admissions (65%). While North Park's student body is predominantly undergraduate, Columbia offers a larger graduate population. In terms of popular majors, North Park excels in nursing, business, and education, while Columbia shines in film, photography, and graphic design. With a higher graduation rate (70%) and a smaller student-to-faculty ratio (13:1), North Park provides a more personalized learning environment. Columbia, on the other hand, offers a diverse student body, representing over 100 countries, and boasts a strong alumni network in the arts and media industries. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and career goals.

	Columbia College Chicago	North Park 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	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	62.0%	70.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	95.6%	67.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60
SAT range	N/A	890 - 1162
ACT range	N/A	20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score		19.0%
Students submitting ACT score		6.0%
Total number of applicants	7,218	4,053
Total number of admissions given out	6,903	2,721
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,696	464
Yield rate	24.6%	17.1%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$48,698	$47,375
Average net price	$25,262	$20,260
Tuition	$26,610	$32,380
Room & board	$16,456	Room/dormitory: $5,160 Meal plan: $5,430
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $20,992	100.0% Average amount $19,942
Students receiving federal student loan	94.0% Average amount $6,068	60.0% Average amount $5,488
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $19,315	4.0% Average amount $11,842

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,493 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%	1,849 Men 40.5% Women 59.5%
Graduate students	243 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	900 Men 39.6% Women 60.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	46.1%	19.9%
International students	4.0%	5.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,158	975
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 Michigan Minnesota Indiana Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology Communication and Journalism English Language and Literature Business	Business Health Professions Education Psychology Theology
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.9%	61.2%
Dropout rate	48.5%	38.5%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,035 Year 2: $101,701 Year 3: $102,196 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,814 Year 2: $63,826 Year 3: $68,658 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,735 Year 2: $58,303 Year 3: $68,598 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,020 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $51,484 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,981 Year 2: $45,584 Year 3: $50,369 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,705 Year 2: $39,153 Year 3: $42,488 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,833 Year 2: $30,228 Year 3: $41,110 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,424 Year 3: $36,568 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,061 Year 2: $32,094 Year 3: $34,344 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,644 Year 2: $24,421 Year 3: $31,996

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