Columbia College vs The University of the Arts (UArts)

Columbia College Chicago and The University of the Arts, both esteemed institutions in the heart of vibrant artistic communities, offer unique educational experiences for aspiring creatives. Columbia, rooted in Chicago's cultural landscape, boasts a higher acceptance rate, attracting a diverse student body from across the globe. The University of the Arts, nestled in Philadelphia's artistic hub, maintains a more selective admissions process, resulting in a smaller, close-knit community. While Columbia excels in majors like Cinema and Television Arts, The University of the Arts shines in disciplines like Fine Arts and Design. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, including graduation rates, student demographics, and more, to help you make an informed decision that aligns with your artistic aspirations and academic goals.

	Columbia College Chicago	The University of the Arts
Overview
Location	Chicago, Illinois	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	95.6%	85.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60
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	1,293
Total number of admissions given out	6,903	1,101
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,696	269
Yield rate	24.6%	24.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$48,698	$68,690
Average net price	$25,262	$25,932
Tuition	$26,610	$48,350
Room & board	$16,456	Room/dormitory: $11,380 Meal plan: $6,250
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 $26,798
Students receiving federal student loan	94.0% Average amount $6,068	94.0% Average amount $5,851
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $19,315	21.0% Average amount $24,297

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,493 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%	1,397 Men 34.7% Women 65.3%
Graduate students	243 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	160 Men 28.8% Women 71.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	46.1%	N/A
International students	4.0%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,158	582
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology Communication and Journalism English Language and Literature Business	Visual & Performing Arts Education Communications Technology Multidisciplinary Studies English Language and Literature
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.9%	68.1%
Dropout rate	48.5%	31.7%
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	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,721 Year 2: $50,677 Year 3: $49,511 Museology/Museum Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $33,796 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $44,041 Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,047 Year 2: $21,964 Year 3: $30,926 Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $18,932 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $29,322 Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,815 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $28,945 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,696 Year 2: $21,052 Year 3: $28,612 Dance (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,267 Year 2: $21,613 Year 3: $26,673 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $16,297 Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: $25,853 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,067 Year 2: $22,329 Year 3: $25,752 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $18,579 Year 2: $19,358 Year 3: $25,140

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