The following is a partial list of notable alumni and faculty of Columbia College Chicago.

• Scott Adsit (1987) – actor on 30 Rock
• Chester Alamo-Costello (1998) – artist and photographer
• Melissa Albert (2006) – author of young adult fiction
• Hettie Barnhill (2006) – dancer in 2009 Broadway production of Fela!
• Aidy Bryant (2009) – former cast member of Saturday Night Live
• Mickie Caspi (1982) – artist
• Shea Coulee (2011) – drag queen and contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race
• Nick Charles – sports broadcaster
• Common (attended briefly) – rapper, actor, author
• Chet Coppock (1971) – sports commentator for WLS radio
• Greg Corner – musician, bass player of Kill Hannah, musical director and co-host of JBTV
• David Cromer (attended briefly; award-winning director of Adding Machine)
• Charlie Curtis-Beard – rapper and TikTok personality
• Jeffrey Daniels – author and poet
• Brant Daugherty (2008) – actor
• Andy Dick – actor (attended briefly)
• Phyllis Diller – comedian and actress
• Jimmy Dore – stand-up comedian, former political commentator for The Young Turks, host of The Jimmy Dore Show
• Bruce DuMont (1969) – broadcaster
• Aiden English (2010) – professional wrestler
• Elaine Equi – poet
• Deitra Farr – blues singer^[1]
• Danny Fenster (2009) – journalist, editor of Frontier Myanmar^{[2][3][4][5][6]}
• Mauro Fiore (1987) – Academy Award-winning cinematographer (Avatar, The Island, Tears of the Sun, Training Day)
• Kathleen Flinn (1989) – New York Times best-selling author
• Paul Garnes – Producer Selma, QueenSugar, The Game
• Greg Glienna – director and screenwriter
• Michael Goi (1980) – cinematographer
• Kevin Gosztola (2010) – journalist, writer, and documentarian
• Shecky Greene (1946) – comedian and actor
• Chester Gregory (1995) – actor, Broadway productions of Tarzan, Cry Baby, and Dreamgirls
• Michael Grothaus (2000) – novelist, author of Epiphany Jones
• John Guleserian – cinematographer
• Hal Haenel (1981) – senior vice president of 20th Century Fox
• Larry Heinemann (1971) – novelist, author of Paco's Story
• David Heinz (2002) – film editor
• Isabella Hofmann – actor
• Erica Hubbard (1999) – actor on Lincoln Heights
• Andrew Huebner (1998) – Emmy Award-winning television producer with Nickelodeon Animation Studios
• Jeremih (2009) – singer
• Rashid Johnson (2000) – photographer
• Janusz Kamiński (1982–87) – Academy Award-winning cinematographer for Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan
• John Kass – columnist
• Kid Sister (2004) – recording artist
• Kyle Kinane (2002) – comedian
• J. A. Konrath – writer of the Jack Daniels mystery series
• Tina La Porta (1989) – Digital Artist
• Laura Les – American music producer, singer and songwriter, half of experimental electronic duo "100 gecs"^[7][8]
• Jake Lloyd – actor, played Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars film
• Josefina Lopez (1991) – author of Real Women Have Curves
• Becky Lynch – professional wrestler
• Shane Madej (producer) (2009) – founder of Watcher Entertainment, filmmaker, writer, producer
• Liz Mandeville – blues musician, singer, songwriter, music producer, record label owner
• The Mazeking – contemporary visual artist
• Kym Mazelle – singer and actress
• Chris McKay – animator, film and television director, editor and producer
• Austin P. McKenzie – actor
• Joe Meno (1997) – author
• Sharon Mesmer (1983) – poet, author
• Michelle Monaghan – actress, Gone Baby Gone, Mission: Impossible III
• Ozier Muhammad (1972) – Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist for The New York Times
• Bob Odenkirk – writer for Saturday Night Live (1987–1995), actor (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul)
• Lola Omolola – journalist
• Anita Padilla (1991) – reporter for FOX Chicago
• Diane Pathieu (2001) – weekend news anchor for WLS-TV in Chicago
• Steve Pink – actor, screenwriter and director
• Tonya Pinkins (1996) – Tony Award-winning actress
• Laura Post – voice actress
• Mark Protosevich (1983) – screenwriter of I Am Legend, Poseidon, The Cell
• Aidan Quinn – actor, Elementary, Legends of the Fall
• Declan Quinn (1979) – cinematographer
• Matthew Rehwoldt (2010) – professional wrestler
• Rob Renzetti – animator and creator of My Life as a Teenage Robot
• Dean Richards reporter and broadcaster (1976)
• Andy Richter (1988) – actor, sidekick on Conan
• Alexander Rybak (2022) – winner of 2009 Eurovision
• Saba (attended briefly) – rapper, record producer
• Pat Sajak (1968) – host of Wheel of Fortune
• Marcus Sakey – best-selling author
• Anna D. Shapiro – theater director and Steppenwolf ensemble member
• Drew Shiflett (1974) – mixed media artist and sculptor^[9]
• Silver Sphere (1999) – singer-songwriter^[10]
• Bob Sirott (1971) – broadcaster
• Matt Skiba – musician, lead singer and guitarist of Alkaline Trio
• Coyla May Spring – Chautauqua dramatic reader, singer, pianist
• Michael Stahl-David (2005) – actor, Cloverfield, The Black Donnellys
• Dino Stamatopoulos – comedy writer
• Greg Stimac (2005) – artist
• Mike Stoklasa – director, actor, and creator of RedLetterMedia
• Sumanth (1996) – Indian film actor/producer
• Genndy Tartakovsky (1990) – creator of Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Sym-Bionic Titan
• Robert Teitel (1990) – producer of Men of Honor, Barbershop, Notorious
• George Tillman, Jr. (1991) – director of Men of Honor, Barbershop, Notorious
• Glenna Smith Tinnin (1897) – women's suffrage leader and theater professional
• Nadine Velazquez (2001) – actress in The League
• Jim Verraros, dance musician and actor
• Jordan Vogt-Roberts (2006) – film and television director
• Lena Waithe – actress, producer, and screenwriter of Master of None
• Ryley Walker – American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• Frank Waln (2014) – Sicangu Lakota Native American rapper and activist
• Sam Weller – (1990) author, biographer
• Jon Wellner – actor, CSI 1997
• Francis White (2007) – musician
• Jim Williams – broadcaster
• Timothy French – artist
• Kimberly Jones (attended briefly) – author

† denotes former faculty member

• Stephen T. Asma – writer
• Martin Atkins – musician
• Dawoud Bey – photographer
• Pauline Brailsford †
• Gwendolyn Brooks – first African American to receive a Pulitzer Prize. †
• Ivan Brunetti – sequential artist
• Jim DeRogatis – music critic, co-host of Sound Opinions^[11]
• Phyllis Eisenstein – fantasy and science fiction novelist
• Jan Erkert – choreographer, teacher and writer
• Ed Ferrara – television writer
• Charles "Chuck" Harrison
• Larry Heinemann †
• Aleksandar Hemon – writer
• Andy Herren – winner, Big Brother 15 (U.S.)
• Joe Meno – author
• Audrey Niffenegger – author
• Edward L. Morris † – Journalist, CEO, President Chicago chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Executive Grant Broadcasting^[12][13][14]
• Sheldon Patinkin †
• Melissa Potter – American interdisciplinary artist
• William Russo – musician
• John Schultz – writer
• Gordon A. Sheehan – animator †
• Smino – rapper (attended briefly)
• David Trinidad
• Karen Volkman – poet
• Sam Weller – journalist and author
• Donda West – musician †
• John H. White – photojournalist