National Louis University (NLU) vs Columbia College

National Louis University and Columbia College Chicago, both located in the vibrant city of Chicago, offer distinct educational experiences for aspiring students. National Louis University, known for its open admissions policy, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, including popular majors in education, business, and nursing. Columbia College Chicago, on the other hand, has a more selective admissions process and is renowned for its strengths in the arts, media, and communication fields. With different acceptance rates, student demographics, and graduation outcomes, these institutions cater to unique student profiles and aspirations. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into the specifics and discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Columbia College Chicago	National Louis University
Overview
Location	Chicago, Illinois	Chicago, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	62.0%	61.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	95.6%	97.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 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	1,518
Total number of admissions given out	6,903	1,473
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,696	558
Yield rate	24.6%	37.9%
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	$32,325
Average net price	$25,262	$14,665
Tuition	$26,610	$10,755
Room & board	$16,456
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $20,992	93.0% Average amount $8,931
Students receiving federal student loan	94.0% Average amount $6,068	14.0% Average amount $3,883
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $19,315	1.0% Average amount $19,696

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,493 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%	3,607 Men 25.8% Women 74.2%
Graduate students	243 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	3,708 Men 17.5% Women 82.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	46.1%	2.9%
International students	4.0%	1.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,158	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Indiana Michigan Minnesota Ohio	Illinois Indiana Arizona California

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology Communication and Journalism English Language and Literature Business	Education Business Psychology Family and Consumer Sciences Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.9%	33.8%
Dropout rate	48.5%	51.2%
Transferred out	N/A	12.5%
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	Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $116,556 Year 2: $86,424 Year 3: $90,466 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,515 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $68,357 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,800 Year 2: $56,234 Year 3: $62,702 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,308 Year 2: $59,921 Year 3: $62,677 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,451 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $59,800 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,872 Year 2: $63,600 Year 3: $59,310 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,332 Year 2: $53,017 Year 3: $57,588 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,059 Year 2: $54,238 Year 3: $55,084 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,097 Year 2: $50,887 Year 3: $53,488 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,720 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $53,026

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