Columbia College vs Fashion Institute of Technology

Columbia College Chicago and Fashion Institute of Technology, two esteemed institutions renowned for their artistic and creative programs, offer distinct educational experiences. Columbia, located in the heart of Chicago's vibrant cultural scene, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of majors, including film, music, and theater. FIT, situated in the fashion capital of New York City, specializes in fashion-related fields, such as design, merchandising, and marketing. While both institutions share a commitment to excellence in the arts, their acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates vary significantly. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and career goals.

	Columbia College Chicago	Fashion Institute of Technology
Overview
Location	Chicago, Illinois	New York, New York
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	62.0%	86.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	95.6%	51.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $100
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	4,706
Total number of admissions given out	6,903	2,432
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,696	1,262
Yield rate	24.6%	51.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	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	In state: $38,163 Out of state: $48,743
Average net price	$25,262	$8,637
Tuition	$26,610	In state: $5,290 Out of state: $15,870
Room & board	$16,456	Room/dormitory: $21,200 Meal plan: $5,800
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $20,992	53.0% Average amount $8,521
Students receiving federal student loan	94.0% Average amount $6,068	29.0% Average amount $5,268
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $19,315	4.0% Average amount $14,663

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,493 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%	7,908 Men 16.7% Women 83.3%
Graduate students	243 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	242 Men 14.9% Women 85.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	46.1%	41.0%
International students	4.0%	10.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,158	2,200
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	New York New Jersey California Florida Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology Communication and Journalism English Language and Literature Business	Visual & Performing Arts Business Communication and Journalism Family and Consumer Sciences Communications Technology
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.9%	82.1%
Dropout rate	48.5%	8.5%
Transferred out	N/A	8.9%
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	Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,667 Year 2: $45,889 Year 3: $53,713 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,868 Year 2: $42,458 Year 3: $52,154 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,104 Year 2: $41,689 Year 3: $51,045 Apparel and Textiles (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,008 Year 2: $43,638 Year 3: $49,445 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,289 Year 2: $41,076 Year 3: $47,750 Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $25,549 Year 2: $29,374 Year 3: $43,094 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $19,884 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $40,670 Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $38,223 Design and Applied Arts (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $18,128 Year 2: $17,461 Year 3: $35,215 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,754 Year 2: $22,329 Year 3: $33,231

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