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Instructions
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Related Documents
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(1 of 7) Your application
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For your convenience, Columbia’s admission application also includes a housing application section.
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Essay questions
All applicants are required to complete an essay. The application will allow you to upload your essay as a Word or text file.
Please respond to one of the following three essay questions:
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Option 1
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Big or small, tell us about a time in your creative or artistic life when you were criticized for your creative decisions or told “no.” Did you abandon your new idea? Refine your new idea? Or did you reject the criticism and proceed full speed ahead? Tell us about your thought process during this time. Do you regret not following through on your idea? Or are you now grateful you didn’t go out on such a precarious limb? How do you think the criticism or denial affected the further development of your creative work?
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Option 2
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Improvements in consumer-grade technology and its relative affordability have provided opportunities for students to create and distribute their art, their films, their writing, and their music in a way previously unavailable. With so much ready access to the technology tools that help produce and distribute these creative works, and with so much work being produced and distributed "out there" (some of it not very good, by the way), how will you make your work stand out? For the moment, forget the technology and what it has done for you and your art form. Tell us, instead, about your ideas. What themes or concepts do you want to explore through your work? What do you want to make your ‘audience’ think or feel? What do you want to make them aware of? Why are you interested in your ideas? Why should anyone else be interested in them? Have you already begun to explore your concepts through your work? What do you hope or expect Columbia College Chicago to contribute to the development of your ideas? What is the first thing you want to do at Columbia to explore your ideas?
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Option 3
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Of the many countries in the world to further your education, why have you chosen the United States, and why have you selected Columbia College Chicago as your educational destination? What do you hope the Columbia College Chicago experience will do for you as an artist or communicator?
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$100 USD application fee
There is a $100 USD non-refundable application fee. Students can either submit their payment online in the final step of the application process, use Columbia's online payment form, or send an international money order or a cashier’s check payable to Columbia College Chicago. Your options to pay the application fee follow below:
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Columbia Online Application
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Pay during application process
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Online after submitting your application
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Columbia online payment form
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In person or by mail
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Columbia College Chicago
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
600 S. Michigan Ave, Room 301
Chicago, IL 60605-1996, USA
If paying by money order or check, please be sure to include the student’s full name as it appears on their application.
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(2 of 7) Letters of recommendation
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One letter of recommendation from your instructor, counselor, advisor, or other individual is required to complete your application.
For your convenience, the online application provides the option of sending an e-mail notification directly to the person you’ve chosen to complete your recommendation. This person will be invited to complete the recommendation online with ease and will not need to mail, fax, or e-mail their recommendation. If using this option, please be prepared with the e-mail address of the person making the recommendation.
Alternatively, you may choose to download the recommendation form to be completed by your Recommender. Please note: the applicant must complete the top portion of the form.
If you are submitting the recommendation separately from the main application, send it to us using one of the following methods.
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In person or by mail
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Columbia College Chicago
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
600 S. Michigan Ave, Room 301
Chicago, IL 60605-1996, USA
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By fax
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+1-312-369-8024
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By e-mail
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intladmissions@colum.edu
Please be sure the recommendation is in the body of the e-mail, as attachments will not be accepted. The full name and Social Security Number of the applicant, if available, should be featured at the very top the message.
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Columbia Letter of Recom-mendation Form PDF (optional)
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(3 of 7) Official or Certified True Copies of Educational Records (Transcripts, Mark Sheets, or School Records)
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Students must submit all official educational records of high school, secondary school, or college/university work. Official educational records not written in English should include an English translation when possible.
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If applying as a freshman
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Applicants must submit official or certified true copies of their educational records demonstrating successful completion of a high school or secondary education as noted above. In some cases this may require applicants to submit a “leaving certificate” or “graduation certificate” along with their translated, certified educational record. Official educational records not written in English should include an English translation when possible.
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If applying as a transfer student
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Transfer applicants who have earned 15 credit hours or more of transferable college credit from an accredited college or university are typically not required to submit their high school transcript.
However, Transfer applicants who wish to present a fuller picture of their academic abilities may supplement their admissions application by including their High School transcript or GED certificate for review.
Please Note: At its sole discretion, Columbia’s Admissions Review Committee may request additional documentation, including official High School Transcript, or GED certificate from applicants at any stage of the review process.
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To all applicants, select one of the following methods to submit your official records:
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In person or by mail
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Columbia College Chicago
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
600 S. Michigan Ave, Room 301
Chicago, IL 60605-1996, USA
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By fax
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+1-312-369-8024
We are unable to accept transcripts sent directly from the individual applicant. Transcripts sent via fax must be sent directly by the issuing institution.
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By e-mail
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intladmissions@colum.edu
We are unable to accept transcripts sent directly from the individual applicant. Transcripts sent via e-mail must be sent directly by the issuing institution.
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(4 of 7) Proof of English Language Proficiency
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Proof of English language proficiency is required for admission into the College’s undergraduate degree program if English is not your country’s primary language. This can be demonstrated by submitting at least one of the following:
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Option 1
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An official TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of at least 200 CBT (computer-based test) or 72 composite IBT (internet-based test)
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Option 2
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Successful completion of the US equivalency of high school where the primary language of instruction was English
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Option 3
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IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score of at least 5.5
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Option 4
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TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) score of at least 725
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Option 5
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Evidence of completion of at least one semester of university-level coursework in English Composition at an accredited college/university in the United States with a grade of “C” or better
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Option 6
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Successful completion of the College’s eight-week Summer Intensive English Language Institute (SIELI), with the recommendation of faculty
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Select one of the following methods to send your proof of English language proficiency:
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In person or by mail
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Columbia College Chicago
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
600 S. Michigan Ave, Room 301
Chicago, IL 60605-1996, USA
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By fax
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+1-312-369-8024
We are unable to accept transcripts sent directly from the individual applicant. Transcripts sent via fax must be sent directly by the issuing institution.
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By e-mail
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intladmissions@colum.edu
We are unable to accept transcripts sent directly from the individual applicant. Transcripts sent via e-mail must be sent directly by the issuing institution.
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(5 of 7) Financial documentation
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For F-1 and J-1 visa issuing purposes, you must submit evidence of adequate funding to meet Columbia College Chicago’s estimated tuition and living expenses. Proof of sufficient funds from reliable and renewable sources to cover the first year “cost of attendance” is required.
International students who will not require an F-1 or J-1 visa to study in the United States do not need to submit financial documentation.
For the current cost of attendance budget, please visit http://www.colum.edu/sfs. If you are married and plan to bring your spouse and/or children, proof of additional funds will be required.
Financial documentation includes:
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Original certified or notarized “Certificate of Sponsorship”
Sponsor’s original, current bank statement, issued within six months of your anticipated entry term, reflecting the appropriate amount in U.S. dollars, preferably in savings, certified in English
Other acceptable financial documentation may include proof of income, stock portfolios, and/or affidavits of free room and board
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Keep in mind that each dollar not personally provided by you must be promised through sponsorship. If you have multiple sources of funding, each sponsor must submit official documentation detailing what they will provide.
As you prepare your financial documents to send to Columbia College Chicago, be sure to keep official copies of all documents to be used in the visa application process.
Select one of the following methods to send your financial documentation:
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In person or by mail
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Columbia College Chicago
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
600 S. Michigan Ave, Room 301
Chicago, IL 60605-1996, USA
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Financial Documentation Guide (optional)
Certificate of Sponsorship
Affidavit of Free Room and Board (optional)
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(6 of 7) Immunization records
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All applicants are required to have their immunization records provided to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Students are required to submit records showing proof of specific immunizations as follows: one tetanus/diphtheria shot within the last ten years, two separate measles shots during your lifetime, one rubella shot, and one mumps shot; OR one tetanus/diphtheria shot within the last ten years, a combination of one MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and a second measles vaccination. Students born prior to January 1, 1957 and students enrolled in fewer than six credit hours are exempt from complying with this law, Illinois Public Act #85-1315.
Completed applications can be reviewed without immunization records on file. However, all students are required to have complete immunization records on file prior to Orientation/Registration.
Select one of the following methods to send your immunization documents:
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In person or by mail
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Columbia College Chicago
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
600 S. Michigan Ave, Room 301
Chicago, IL 60605-1996, USA
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By fax
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+1-312-369-8024
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By e-mail
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intladmissions@colum.edu
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(7 of 7) Immigration status documents
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All applicants must submit a photocopy of his/her passport page(s) showing the applicant’s full name and passport expiration date.
Applicants currently in the United States must also submit a photocopy of his/her I-94 card (front and back sides).
Additionally, applicants currently holding F-1 student visa status must submit:
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Photocopy of his/her current I-20
Photocopy of the F-1 student visa stamp in his/her passport (if applicable)
Columbia’s Immigration Pre-Transfer Verification Form, completed by the Designated School Official or International Student Advisor at the applicant’s current U.S. institution
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Select one of the following methods to send your immigration status documents:
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In person or by mail
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Columbia College Chicago
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
600 S. Michigan Ave, Room 301
Chicago, IL 60605-1996, USA
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By fax
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+1-312-369-8024
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By e-mail
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intladmissions@colum.edu
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Columbia’s Immigration Pre-Transfer Verification Form
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