Both schools offer filmmaking in Chicago, but choosing between them requires more than deciding which has the better reputation. Start with the degree and craft you want, then compare what the actual offer buys. This guide focuses on undergraduate film study; graduate directing and animation accounts are kept in their proper context.
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Start with matching degree routes, then change or add a program to suit your shortlist. The tool keeps fee periods, entry categories and qualifications visible.
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Which deserves your shortlist?
DePaul warrants a close look if a named BFA craft concentration is important to you. Columbia College Chicago warrants a close look if its BA or cinematography/directing BFA and wider arts community match your plans. Either can be the more sensible choice after grants, transfer evaluation and the remaining course sequence are known. Neither is an automatic winner for every filmmaker.
An editor should begin with the editing sequence and supervised cuts. A director should count actor work, feedback and actual directing opportunities. A producer should examine scheduling, budgeting, rights and responsibility for finishing films. These are more useful starting points than comparing two soundstage photographs.
Compare the undergraduate routes
| Decision | DePaul | Columbia College Chicago |
|---|---|---|
| Broader route | Film & Television BA. [1] | Film & Television BA. [2] |
| Specialized route | Film & Television BFA; the 2026–27 catalog lists 12 concentrations. [1] | Film & Television BFA; the current page names cinematography and directing concentrations. [3] |
| How to compare | Check the required advanced courses in your chosen concentration. | Check whether the BA or a BFA concentration fits the intended craft. |
| Calendar | Quarter-based tuition: compare three teaching terms with an annual figure. | Semester-based tuition: compare two teaching terms with an annual figure. |
| Transfer decision | Request remaining terms and prerequisite sequence. | Request remaining semesters and prerequisite sequence. |
These labels identify the starting choices, not the whole educational experience. Ask both advisers for a dated degree audit and mark each required practical assignment. A course title should lead to a question about the work, supervision and revision, rather than an assumption about depth.
Annual tuition on the same basis
| 2026–27 item | DePaul | Columbia College Chicago |
|---|---|---|
| Relevant cohort | 2026 entrant in the listed Jarvis undergraduate package. [4] | First enrollment fall 2025 or later, plus the returning-student cases specified in the table. [5] |
| Full-time academic-year tuition | $48,180 across fall, winter and spring. [4] | $35,498 across fall and spring. [5] |
| Listed additional charges | $900 annual comprehensive fee without summer. [4] | $1,586 annual fees plus an estimated $306 annual CTA U-Pass. [5] |
| Subtotal of those items | $49,080 before other costs. | $37,390 before other costs. |
| Not a complete budget | Add the actual housing, living, travel and project plan. | Add the actual housing, living, travel and project plan. |
On these published tuition figures, Columbia is $12,682 lower for the academic year before aid. That is a starting difference, not a forecast of your net bill. A larger renewable grant at DePaul, different remaining enrollment, or other charges could change the comparison. Use the cohort attached to your offer and avoid subtracting one school’s complete attendance estimate from the other’s tuition alone.
Write down the bill after confirmed grants, then add housing, food, transport, equipment, production spending and a contingency for completion. Record whether each award renews and what would cause it to end. A one-year grant does not establish a four-year discount. Do the same calculation for the number of terms actually remaining after transfer.
Production access: ask both schools the same questions
- Which stages, cameras and post facilities can a student in my year and route book? What certification or course approval is required?
- What priority applies between classes, personal projects, undergraduate work and graduate work? What happens when a reservation cannot be honored?
- How many substantial projects will I complete in my intended role, and which roles depend on selection?
- Which required costs are covered, which grants are competitive and what does a compliant low-budget film look like?
DePaul advertises Cinespace facilities and organized production opportunities. Columbia advertises a media production center, studios and equipment resources. These are reasons to investigate access, not promises that every resource can be booked for every film. Ask a current student to describe a real reservation and a real assignment from the last term. [3] [6]
What the student evidence can establish
Our separate profiles include a positive DePaul directing-MFA account, criticism from an undergraduate animation alumnus, and contrasting Columbia graduate-directing accounts. They are not a matched comparison of current undergraduate Film & Television students. We do not turn them into an undergraduate league table.
Use those accounts to frame specific questions about advanced teaching, bookings and project funding. Then ask current BA or BFA students in the intended craft the same questions. Speak with an ordinary graduate as well as someone whose film was selected for a showcase. The aim is to find a repeatable learning path rather than an exceptional story.
Read the DePaul review and original sources · Read the Columbia College Chicago review and original sources
Choose by the offer and the work
- Choose DePaul for further investigation when a particular BFA concentration provides a clearer required craft sequence for you. Verify access and the complete cost.
- Choose Columbia for further investigation when its specific BA/BFA plan fits and its net offer leaves enough money to live and finish work. Verify advanced instruction and project access.
- Keep both on the list when the actual grants, transfer audits or project rules are still missing. An incomplete offer is too weak a basis for a final comparison.
If you are already experienced, ask to see advanced assignments and feedback before paying for substantial introductory work. If you are a beginner, ask how the first projects are supported and how you meet collaborators. The better environment depends partly on what you need to learn next.
Questions before accepting
- Can you send my current degree planner and a realistic graduation timeline after transfer evaluation?
- Can I see a normal advanced assignment, the assessment criteria and an example of feedback that led to a revision?
- What happens if I do not obtain my preferred project or a place in the advanced class?
- What does career support provide for ordinary first jobs in my craft, and which internships must students secure themselves?
Record the answers in the same document, with dates and the person or office supplying them. If a verbal promise is important to the decision, ask for the relevant written policy or offer term. That makes the comparison useful when a tour has ended.
Common questions
Is Columbia College Chicago the New York university?
No. This comparison concerns Columbia College Chicago, not Columbia University.
Does the lower published tuition decide the choice?
No. Compare confirmed grants, remaining study time and the complete budget. Keep enough room to finish films and manage the transition into work.
Does a graduate review establish undergraduate quality?
No. Graduate directing, undergraduate animation and undergraduate production are different educational experiences.
Sources and method
Checked 31 October 2026. Figures identify their year, cohort and pricing unit. This comparison uses official requirements and the separately sourced school profiles; it is not a ranking or a representative student survey.