Quad

Head-to-head

Columbia College Chicago
California Baptist

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    California Baptist grads earn $19.3K more ten years out than Columbia College Chicago's ($61,504 vs. $42,195)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    California Baptist has 17 pts more first-gen students than Columbia College Chicago (42% vs. 25%)

    First-generation students
  3. 3

    California Baptist's yield is 9 pts higher than Columbia College Chicago's

    Yield rate
  4. 4

    California Baptist graduates 7 pts more of its students than Columbia College Chicago (62% vs. 55%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    California Baptist has 1.5× as many undergrads as Columbia College Chicago

    Undergrads
  6. 6

    California Baptist's grants cover 47% of its full price on average, vs. 42% at Columbia College Chicago

    Aid generosity

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

California Baptist admits 85%, Columbia College Chicago 89%; California Baptist's yield is higher, at 24%.

Acceptance rate
Columbia College Chicago89%
California Baptist85%
Quad's selectivity
  • Columbia College ChicagoOpen
  • California BaptistAccessible
SAT middle 50%
Columbia College ChicagoTest-blind
California BaptistTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Columbia College ChicagoSchool record required
  • California BaptistRigor and tests very important41%

Who's on each campus

California Baptist has 1.5× as many undergrads as Columbia College Chicago; Columbia College Chicago has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Columbia College Chicago5.4K
California Baptist8.2K
Pell Grant share
Columbia College Chicago46%
California Baptist42%

Majors and faculty

Cinematography and Film/Video Production leads at Columbia College Chicago, and Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse at California Baptist.

Students per faculty member
Columbia College Chicago15 to 1
California Baptist21 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Columbia College ChicagoCinematography and Film/Video Production19%
  • California BaptistRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse10%

What each costs

California Baptist costs about $2.2K less a year than Columbia College Chicago on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Columbia College Chicago$31.6K
California Baptist$29.4K
Aid generosity
Columbia College Chicago42%
California Baptist47%

What each pays off

California Baptist's former students earn more, a median $61.5K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 50% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Columbia College Chicago$42.2K
California Baptist$61.5K
Graduation rate
Columbia College Chicago55%
California Baptist62%

How each has changed

Applications grew at California Baptist but fell at Columbia College Chicago; California Baptist got less selective while Columbia College Chicago held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Columbia College ChicagoShrinking−15%
  • California BaptistGrowing+90%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;California Baptist University Common Data Set 2023–24, Fall 2025 applicants;California Baptist University Common Data Set 2023–24, Fall 2023About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why