Ithaca vs Columbia College

Ithaca College and Columbia College Chicago, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Ithaca College, nestled in the scenic Finger Lakes region of New York, boasts a higher acceptance rate (73%) compared to Columbia College Chicago's selective admissions (58%). Both colleges excel in different areas; Ithaca College is renowned for its strong programs in health sciences, business, and music, while Columbia College Chicago shines in the arts, media, and design fields. Their student bodies reflect these specializations, with Ithaca College having a slightly larger undergraduate population and a more diverse student body. While Ithaca College boasts a higher graduation rate (82%), Columbia College Chicago offers a shorter average time to degree completion (3.8 years). Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Columbia College Chicago	Ithaca College
Overview
Location	Chicago, Illinois	Ithaca, New York
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Small
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%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	95.6%	77.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $40
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	13,445
Total number of admissions given out	6,903	10,451
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,696	1,166
Yield rate	24.6%	11.2%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$48,698	$65,609
Average net price	$25,262	$35,327
Tuition	$26,610	$46,610
Room & board	$16,456	Room/dormitory: $8,976 Meal plan: $6,800
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $20,992	98.0% Average amount $29,954
Students receiving federal student loan	94.0% Average amount $6,068	71.0% Average amount $5,311
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $19,315	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,493 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%	4,818 Men 44.8% Women 55.2%
Graduate students	243 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	421 Men 27.1% Women 72.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	46.1%	N/A
International students	4.0%	2.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	2,158	4,076
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	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Communication and Journalism Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.9%	77.2%
Dropout rate	48.5%	22.1%
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	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,085 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $87,831 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,346 Year 2: $72,646 Year 3: $77,441 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,547 Year 2: $62,707 Year 3: $69,155 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,173 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $61,173 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,684 Year 2: $46,899 Year 3: $59,246 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,233 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $54,267 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,784 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: $49,589 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,148 Year 2: $40,956 Year 3: $48,989 Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,699 Year 2: $35,877 Year 3: $44,136 Physics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,250 Year 3: $43,850

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Columbia College

Art Center College of Design