The New School vs Columbia College

The New School and Columbia College Chicago, both located in vibrant urban centers, offer distinct educational experiences. The New School, known for its progressive approach and interdisciplinary curriculum, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on the arts, design, and social sciences. Columbia College Chicago, on the other hand, emphasizes creative and media arts, with popular majors in film, music, and photography. While The New School has a lower acceptance rate and a higher graduation rate, Columbia College Chicago offers a more affordable tuition. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more key differences, including student demographics, faculty-to-student ratios, and notable alumni, to help you make an informed decision about which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and career goals.

	Columbia College Chicago	The New School
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)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	62.0%	83.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	95.6%	66.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
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	9,696
Total number of admissions given out	6,903	6,428
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,696	1,902
Yield rate	24.6%	29.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not 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	$73,344
Average net price	$25,262	$43,547
Tuition	$26,610	$51,128
Room & board	$16,456	Room/dormitory: $15,000 Meal plan: $6,400
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $20,992	99.0% Average amount $20,330
Students receiving federal student loan	94.0% Average amount $6,068	26.0% Average amount $5,138
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $19,315	4.0% Average amount $23,894

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,493 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%	7,381 Men 24.3% Women 75.7%
Graduate students	243 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	3,112 Men 31.9% Women 68.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	46.1%	81.9%
International students	4.0%	33.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,158	2,325
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	California New York New Jersey Florida Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology Communication and Journalism English Language and Literature Business	Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science Communication and Journalism Multidisciplinary Studies Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.9%	69.9%
Dropout rate	48.5%	16.3%
Transferred out	N/A	13.5%
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	Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $63,289 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $82,468 Visual and Performing Arts, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $72,367 Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,302 Year 2: $58,866 Year 3: $69,897 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,442 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $68,670 Architecture (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,057 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $63,261 Design and Applied Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,427 Year 2: $63,430 Year 3: $62,407 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,154 Year 2: $59,788 Year 3: $60,722 Sustainability Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,594 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $59,550 International Relations and National Security Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,177 Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: $55,483 Design and Applied Arts (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $45,981 Year 2: $46,407 Year 3: $51,410

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