Music · Columbia College Chicago
How much do Columbia College Chicago Music graduates earn?
Columbia College Chicago's bachelor's graduates in Music earned a median $40,734 four years after graduating, 5% below the $42,892 national median for the same program (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard). One year after graduating, a later class (2018-20 graduates, measured 2020-21) earned a median $19,943; the two figures describe different graduates, not one class's growth. Graduates who borrowed took out a median $25,625 in federal loans at this college (about $272 a month on a 10-year plan), and had $27,000 in total federal debt including other colleges attended (same degree level).
- Median earnings, 4 years after:
- $40,734
- National median, same program:
- $42,892
- Federal debt borrowed at this college (median):
- $25,625
- Monthly payment, 10-year plan:
- $272
Columbia College Chicago, bachelor's in Music. Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. Debt: graduates of 2018-19 and 2019-20; total including other colleges attended $27,000. College Scorecard, 10 June 2026.
Quick answers
- What do Music graduates of Columbia College Chicago earn?
- Columbia College Chicago's bachelor's graduates in Music earned a median $40,734 four years after graduating (College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23).
- How much federal debt do Music graduates of Columbia College Chicago have?
- Graduates who borrowed took out a median $25,625 in federal loans at Columbia College Chicago (College Scorecard, graduates of 2018-19 and 2019-20); counting federal loans from every college they attended at the same degree level, their total was $27,000.
- How does Columbia College Chicago compare with the national median for Music?
- $40,734 is 5% below the $42,892 national median for bachelor's programs in the same field (College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23).
- How does Columbia College Chicago compare with other Illinois Music programs?
- It is 8% below the $44,072 earned by graduates of the typical Illinois bachelor's program in the field (8 programs, College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23).
- Is a Music degree from Columbia College Chicago worth it?
- Federal data cannot decide that for you, but it puts the figures side by side: Columbia College Chicago's bachelor's graduates in Music earned a median $40,734 four years after graduating (College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23), and those who borrowed took out a median $25,625 in federal loans there, about $272 a month on a 10-year plan, roughly 8% of the median graduate's monthly earnings before tax (College Scorecard, graduates of 2018-19 and 2019-20).
Music at Columbia College Chicago, by credential
One credential level has federal figures. Federal program group: Music (CIP 50.09), which includes its related specialties.
| Credential | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings, 1 yr after | Earnings, 4 yrs after | vs national | Debt borrowed at this college | Total debt incl. other colleges | Payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 99 | $19,943 | $40,734 | −5% | $25,625 | $27,000 | $272/mo |
The one-year and four-year figures describe different graduating classes (2018-20 graduates, measured 2020-21 and 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23) in different dollars, so the gap between them is not one class's pay growth. A dash means the Department of Education suppressed the figure because too few graduates were measured.
What the two debt figures mean
Federal debt borrowed at this college: the median of the federal loans (Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS) that graduates who borrowed took out at this college.
Total federal debt, including other colleges attended: the same graduates' federal loans from every college they attended, counting only loans at the same level as this credential (undergraduate loans for an undergraduate credential, graduate loans for a graduate one).
Neither figure includes Parent PLUS loans, private loans or accrued interest. The two differ most for transfer students and for degree-completion programs such as RN-to-BSN. Monthly payment is for the debt borrowed at this college. Source: College Scorecard, Field of Study data documentation (September 2025), "Cumulative loan debt".
Cite this data
- Statistic
- Columbia College Chicago's bachelor's graduates in Music earned a median $40,734 four years after graduating, against a national median of $42,892 for the same program and credential.
- Data period
- Graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19 who received federal aid, worked and were not enrolled; earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars (103 graduates measured).
- Source
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field-of-study data (release of 10 June 2026)
- Page
- https://campuspin.com/schools/columbia-college-chicago/programs/music
- Suggested citation
- CampusPin (2026). Columbia College Chicago Music: graduate earnings and debt. Data: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study, 10 June 2026. https://campuspin.com/schools/columbia-college-chicago/programs/music
Or paste these figures into your page as a small table (departments, admissions, counselors)
Plain HTML with no script and no tracking: each credential's figure with its period and source, and one link back to this page.
How does Columbia College Chicago compare with other Illinois Music programs?
Across the 8 Illinois bachelor's programs in Music with a federal earnings figure, the typical program's graduates earned $44,072; Columbia College Chicago's $40,734 is 8% below that.
| College (bachelor's) | Earnings, 4 yrs after | 1 yr after (later class) | Debt borrowed at this college |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois State University | $54,767 | $32,853 | $20,500 |
| Northwestern University | $53,875 | $34,823 | $18,039 |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | $50,544 | $13,128 | $24,148 |
| DePaul University | $44,756 | $19,155 | $22,379 |
| Millikin University | $43,388 | $21,138 | $26,996 |
| Columbia College Chicago (this college) | $40,734 | $19,943 | $25,625 |
| Wheaton College | $40,329 | $26,540 | $24,556 |
| Western Illinois University | $39,609 | $32,666 | $27,000 |
All 8 Illinois programs, ordered by one federal measure (median earnings four years after graduating), not a ranking of program quality. Only programs with at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort are listed.
Every Music program in Illinois. Compare Music programs and share the result
Questions about Music at Columbia College Chicago
- How much do Columbia College Chicago Music graduates earn?
- Columbia College Chicago's bachelor's graduates in Music earned a median $40,734 four years after graduating, 5% below the $42,892 national median for the same program (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard). One year after graduating, a later class (2018-20 graduates, measured 2020-21) earned a median $19,943; the two figures describe different graduates, not one class's growth. Graduates who borrowed took out a median $25,625 in federal loans at this college (about $272 a month on a 10-year plan), and had $27,000 in total federal debt including other colleges attended (same degree level).
- How much student debt do Columbia College Chicago Music graduates have?
- Columbia College Chicago's bachelor's graduates in Music who borrowed took out a median $25,625 in federal loans at Columbia College Chicago, about $272 a month on a standard 10-year plan (graduates of 2018-19 and 2019-20, College Scorecard). Counting federal loans from every college they attended at the same degree level, their total was a median $27,000; the difference is loans taken at earlier colleges, which matters most for transfer and RN-to-BSN students. Neither figure includes Parent PLUS loans, private loans or accrued interest. The two differ most for transfer students and for degree-completion programs such as RN-to-BSN.
- How does Columbia College Chicago's Music program compare with others in Illinois?
- Across the 8 Illinois bachelor's programs in Music with a federal earnings figure, the typical program's graduates earned $44,072; Columbia College Chicago's $40,734 is 8% below that.
Keep going
- Columbia College Chicago: cost, admissions and every program
- Music major guide: what it pays nationally
- Same degree, different paycheck: how much the college matters
- What does Music pay at other colleges?
Jobs Music graduates often go into
From the Musicmajor guide. Graduates spread across many jobs; these pay figures are for everyone in the job, not for this program's graduates.
Other programs at Columbia College Chicago with graduate earnings
Median earnings of graduates who received federal student aid, worked, and were not enrolled in school; debt is the median federal loans borrowed at this college by graduates who borrowed (Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS; not Parent PLUS, private loans or interest). Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education. Earnings reflect who enrolls, where graduates live and the jobs they take, as well as the program itself. Download every program (CSV).
Data sources & methodology
Figures on this page come from the Department of Education's College Scorecard field-of-study file, matched to Columbia College Chicago by its federal UNITID.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
Program-level median earnings one and four years after completing, and median federal loan debt at completion, by institution, 4-digit CIP field and credential level.
College Scorecard, Field of Study data documentation
How the field-of-study cohorts are built, which graduates are counted, and how small cells are suppressed and perturbed for privacy.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. (10 June 2026). Columbia College Chicago Music: graduate earnings and debt. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/schools/columbia-college-chicago/programs/music