Columbia College Chicago is an arts and media college in Chicago, not Columbia University in New York. Its film offering is worth comparing with DePaul on the actual degree plan, grant offer and access to practical work. The public accounts include both enthusiastic and strongly disappointed students; their degrees and attendance periods explain part of that difference.
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At a glance
Our assessment: A useful Chicago option for someone seeking a creative arts environment. The strongest reason to investigate further is the chance to develop work across collaborating disciplines. The biggest unresolved questions concern advanced feedback, production access and support in the precise degree being offered.
| Decision point | What to know |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate routes | Film & Television BA and BFA; compare the breadth of the BA with the specialist requirements of the BFA. [1] [2] |
| Graduate evidence | The contrasting directing accounts below concern MA/MFA study, not the undergraduate BA or BFA. |
| Newer-cohort tuition, 2026–27 | $35,498 for two full-time semesters, before mandatory fees, transport and living expenses. [3] |
| Pricing cohort | The cited table is for students first enrolling fall 2025 or later, and certain returning students. Continuing cohorts have separate tables. [3] |
| Location | Chicago; any Semester in LA opportunity needs its own eligibility and budget check. |
Choose the right program
BA: breadth and room to explore
The BA is the starting point for a student wanting a broader film-and-television education. Compare how much room remains for electives, another subject and practical coursework after the required core. Ask an adviser to map the courses for your entry year rather than assuming a BA means either no production or unlimited production. [1]
BFA: cinematography or directing
The current BFA page names cinematography and directing concentrations. Ask for the required sequence, selection rules and available advanced projects. Directors should inspect supervised actor work and scene revision; camera students should inspect lighting exercises and crew responsibilities. Other production interests may fit a different degree plan. [2]
Graduate directing and acting are separate
The graduate accounts here disagree sharply about teaching and responsiveness. They cannot settle the undergraduate decision. Acting also requires a separate comparison of performance training, casting and audition preparation; access to actors for a film is not evidence about the quality of an acting degree.
Projects, equipment and access
The BFA page advertises a Media Production Center, a virtual-production soundstage, equipment rental centers and TV studios. Ask which are used in your required courses and what additional eligibility applies. [2]
Request a sample timetable and a sequence of actual assignments, from first exercise to final work. Ask how many projects you will make in your chosen role, how films are selected and whether everyone can direct an assessed project. A showreel of selected films does not answer those questions.
Ask for current equipment and stage eligibility, the priority between undergraduate and graduate projects, and the procedure when a booking fails. A 2023 graduate reviewer questioned access, while an older undergraduate reviewer valued freedom to make work. Different years and project rules could produce different experiences.
For any LA study, distinguish college instruction, an internship search and professional employment. Get the additional housing and travel budget, the approval requirements and the fallback if an internship does not materialize. Do not treat an optional semester as an included placement.
Student and graduate experiences
Accounts are attributed to their original sources. Student identity and enrollment are not independently verified. Selected profiles and project reports are labeled separately from personal course reviews.
Studied here? Review your course at Columbia College Chicago. Include your program, campus and attendance dates. All submissions are checked before publication.
Reports disappointing communication, basic coursework and difficulty obtaining equipment and production support. Scholarship support improved affordability but did not resolve the educational concerns. This is one cohort’s graduate account.
Praises storytelling instruction, responsive staff and value. Explicitly had not yet attended the campus, so the account cannot verify in-person equipment or stage access.
Values practical freedom and collaborators but wanted stronger directing, writing and thesis mentorship and better alumni coordination. The reviewer cautions that the school may have changed.
Appreciates collaboration, instructors and Chicago while describing uneven organization in some classes. This historical account predates the current tuition cohort.
These four accounts describe different routes and periods, with both praise and criticism. The remote 2020 graduate experience and post-pandemic 2023 experience are especially poor candidates for averaging together. The useful questions are whether the current course delivers advanced instruction, dependable resources and enough individual feedback.
Tuition and the complete budget
All amounts below are in US dollars. The year and pricing unit matter: annual, semester and full-program figures are not interchangeable.
| Cost item | Published figure or question |
|---|---|
| Full-time undergraduate tuition, 2026–27 | $17,749 per semester for 12–18 credits in the cited newer-cohort table; $35,498 across two semesters. [3] |
| Fees and transport | The table lists $793 in fees and an estimated $153 CTA U-Pass per semester. Tuition plus these two items is $37,390 across two semesters. [3] |
| Additional enrollment | Credits beyond the full-time package and summer study have separate rates. A summer figure is not the annual undergraduate price. [3] |
| Not covered by that total | Housing, food, personal expenses and your film budget. Graduate directing requires a separate graduate tuition calculation. |
Obtain a written net offer for your cohort and ask which grants renew, under what conditions and for how many semesters. Transfers need a course-by-course audit and remaining-term estimate. Compare with DePaul using annual costs: two Columbia semesters and three DePaul quarters are both academic-year figures, but neither is a complete living-and-production budget.
Admissions and study commitments
Use the current BA or BFA page and the college’s application instructions. Ask whether entry to a particular concentration or advanced production sequence requires another selection step. Transfer applicants should resolve prerequisites and course scheduling before treating accepted credit as saved time. Graduate directing applicants need the graduate portfolio rules rather than an undergraduate checklist. [1] [2]
Career support and graduate outcomes
Request recent degree-specific examples of graduates moving into ordinary paid work, including those who stayed in Chicago. Ask what help remains after graduation and whether outcome figures include freelance work outside film. Selected alumni films can demonstrate possibility; they do not establish placement rates or the earnings of a typical graduate.
Explore the local industry in our Chicago film city guide. If you are considering an entry route into production, read what a production assistant does before comparing course promises with the work.
What to watch out for
- Do not mistake this college for Columbia University or use reviews of the New York institution.
- A positive remote-study review cannot establish current physical access. Ask students who used your intended facilities this year.
- A lower published tuition than another private school can still produce an unsustainable total bill after housing and film spending.
How to get more from the course
- Build relationships across sound, performance, design and post-production, while keeping clear agreements about responsibilities and credit.
- Request specific feedback on a scene or cut and schedule a revision. The learning benefit depends on what changes in the work.
- Keep a record of bookings, approvals and deadlines so collaborators can plan realistic shoots.
Compare alternatives
Compare programs at Columbia College Chicago alongside other schools using qualifications, duration, published costs and entry requirements.
Start with DePaul for a same-city comparison, then consider Emerson and SCAD for different arts communities. Compare an actual craft sequence, a feasible film budget and the net offer. The better fit is the one that can show how you will practice and improve, not simply list equipment.
- DePaul University — School of Cinematic Arts review
- Emerson College review
- Savannah College of Art and Design review
DePaul vs Columbia College Chicago: compare undergraduate routes and costs.
Compare United States school reviews or browse the complete film-school review directory.
Is it worth applying?
Keep Columbia College Chicago on the shortlist if its creative environment and exact degree fit your aims. Before accepting, seek current answers about access, advanced teaching and feedback, then compare the full cost with the competing offer.
Before accepting, compare the actual offer, required course plan and realistic living budget. Speak separately with a current student and a recent graduate in your intended route.
Common questions
Is this Columbia University’s film school?
No. This guide concerns Columbia College Chicago, an independent arts and media college in Chicago.
Are all four accounts undergraduate reviews?
No. Two concern graduate directing and two concern undergraduate study. Their context is shown beside each account.
Is $37,390 the complete annual cost?
No. It combines two semesters of the cited tuition, fees and estimated transit pass. Living expenses and film spending are additional. [3]
Sources and review method
Reviewed 31 October 2026. Official program pages establish the advertised structure and published fees; independent accounts are used for attributed student experience. Older accounts and other programs are labeled where included. These sources do not constitute an inspection of teaching or a representative student survey.
We do not publish a numerical student-satisfaction score from this uneven sample. Public reviews may be selective, anonymous or duplicated across platforms. Google school ratings, when available, also mix programs and visitor experiences; they are not a production-course rating. No direct Google review collection is claimed here.
- Film & Television BA
- Film & Television BFA
- 2026–27 undergraduate tuition: newer entry cohorts
- Original undergraduate and graduate accounts
If you studied here, include your program, campus, attendance dates and whether you completed it when adding a comment. Do not post private personal information. Corrections are most useful with a link to the relevant current policy.