Dean of Students

Financial Aid is managed through Columbia Central. You can reach Columbia Central by calling (312) 369-7140. Assistance is available Monday - Thursday from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. (Central time) and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m (Central time). You may also send an email to columbiacentral@colum.edu. Please be sure to include your name and MyColumbia ID in all correspondence.

Columbia Central is the only office on campus capable of helping students with financial aid questions, including loans, grants, scholarships, and other sources of funding.

The Office of Student Assistance and Community Standards provides support to students who find themselves with financial difficulty. Staff serve as advocates for students in crisis, and liaisons for students who require additional resources at Columbia or in the city of Chicago.

To make an appointment to speak with a staff member in the Office of Student Assistance and Community Standards, please call (312) 369-8595 or send an email to StudentAssistance@colum.edu

Staff will help students define their financial need and what options for additional assistance may be available to them, given the details of their circumstance.

Have you explored Columbia's student employment portal, Handshake?

Students seeking on-campus employment can access available positions using Handshake. To access Handshake, students will need to log-in with their Office 365 credentials. From there, students will be prompted to create a profile using a current resume along with a description of work-related skills and relevant experiences.

The student employment office is housed in the Career Center.

Any student who is experiencing a challenge in having reliable housing accommodations is encouraged to reach out to our Student Assistance and Community Standards team for help. Our team has a wealth of Chicagoland resources to help guide students toward accommodations and options that may work relative to their financial situation, family situation, or other emerging need.

Any student wishing to seek out housing accommodations on the Columbia campus should reach out to the Housing & Residential Experience team at housing@colum.edu to learn more about options and availability.

Nobody should have to face a food insecure situation - going hungry is not an option for us. The Columbia Cares food pantry is supported by alumni and members of the campus community. The goal of the Columbia Cares food pantry is to provide students with shelf-stable food items while they work with our Student Assistance & Community Standards teams toward finding options for sustainable access to food.

To request assistance from the Columbia Cares food pantry, students should complete the Pantry Request Form below:

Columbia Cares Food Pantry Request Form