10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$317,852at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Columbia College Chicago
⌖ Chicago, IL · 22 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff
−$317,852 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
At these assumptions, the estimated earnings premium does not recover the modeled economic investment within ten years.
—Modeled economic break-even
−111%Modeled 10-year ROI
$41,854Observed earnings · year 5
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
Cost, completion and earnings context
$26,598Average net price / year
$51,889Cost of attendance
$41,854Median earnings · year 5 after completion
51.5%Completion rate
89.5%Admission rate
5,368Student size
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
EARNINGS PATH
Reported earnings over time
$24,908Year 1
$47,092Year 4
$41,854Year 5
Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.
The college average is not the whole story.
Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.
1Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication · Bachelor's Degree$66,7982Marketing · Bachelor's Degree$65,6863Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management · Master's Degree$60,1364Movement and Mind-Body Therapies and Education · Master's Degree$59,3405Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies · Master's Degree$57,2406Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's Degree$56,4827Radio, Television, and Digital Communication · Bachelor's Degree$54,3578Film/Video and Photographic Arts · Master's Degree$53,147Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
Comparable colleges in IL
Currently operating private nonprofit institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.
Skokie, IL
Hebrew Theological College
- Annual net price
- $26,861
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,563
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -91%
Knox College
- Annual net price
- $24,595
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,902
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -90%
Moody Bible Institute
- Annual net price
- $22,221
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,456
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -95%
East-West University
- Annual net price
- $21,697
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $45,989
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -96%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | Bachelor's Degree | $66,798 | $26,000 |
| Marketing | Bachelor's Degree | $65,686 | $26,250 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | Master's Degree | $60,136 | Not available |
| Movement and Mind-Body Therapies and Education | Master's Degree | $59,340 | Not available |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Master's Degree | $57,240 | Not available |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $56,482 | $27,000 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | Bachelor's Degree | $54,357 | $25,420 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | Master's Degree | $53,147 | Not available |
| Journalism | Bachelor's Degree | $51,639 | $26,000 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | Bachelor's Degree | $50,592 | $26,000 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | Bachelor's Degree | $49,593 | $27,000 |
| Design and Applied Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $48,601 | $27,000 |
| American Sign Language | Bachelor's Degree | $45,619 | $28,818 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $44,703 | Not available |
| Graphic Communications | Bachelor's Degree | $43,970 | $25,000 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians | Bachelor's Degree | $43,731 | $27,000 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $42,176 | $26,000 |
| Dance | Bachelor's Degree | $41,842 | $27,000 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $41,200 | $26,000 |
| Music | Bachelor's Degree | $40,734 | $27,000 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | Bachelor's Degree | $39,986 | $26,977 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $39,751 | $27,000 |
Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.