Columbia College
Columbia, South Carolina · Website
$41,338
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$41,338
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Columbia College is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Columbia, South Carolina with 1,343 undergraduates and 334 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $18,408 a year (tuition and fees $22,214). It admits 94% of applicants and 37% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $41,338 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $22,750 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$18,408
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$22,214
US median $11,837
Admission rate
94%
US median 78%
Completion rate
37%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$22,750
About $241 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$41,338
Rank 2,464 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $18,408
- Tuition and fees
- $22,214
- Cost of attendance
- $35,258
- Students with a need-based grant
- 54%
- Students with federal loans
- 65%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $17,541
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $17,017
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $16,816
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $22,928
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $20,399
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $28,100 in 2015-16 to $22,214 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 94%
- Undergraduates
- 1,343
- Graduate students
- 334
- Part-time students
- 29%
- Women
- 79%
- Students per teacher
- 12
- Completion rate
- 37%
- Retention rate
- 60%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 65
- Endowment
- $20.0M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 2,464 of 5,094 US colleges and 30 of 78 in South Carolina (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | SC median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $18,408 | $16,583 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $22,214 | $12,978 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 94% | 75% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 37% | 46% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 60% | 69% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $22,750 | $15,392 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $45,863 | $33,444 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $41,338 | $38,826 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 44% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 77% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
65 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education, OtherMaster's | Master's | 150 | $19,329 | $49,797 | $52,401 | $65,348 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 30 | $19,261 | $50,519 | $59,371 | $55,378 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionMaster's | Master's | 27 | $19,329 | $46,528 | $50,070 | $71,685 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 26 | $18,579 | $43,365 | $62,548 | $103,485 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 24 | $21,046 | $42,514 | $53,979 | $68,257 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | $23,394 | Withheld | $32,207 | $50,706 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | $24,094 | Withheld | Withheld | $58,928 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | $26,570 | $39,489 | $46,686 | $47,382 |
| Education, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $49,808 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesOnlineMaster's | Master's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Special Education and TeachingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,499 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCertificate | Certificate | 10 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 10 | $14,405 | $47,159 | $61,821 | $66,714 |
| Social WorkBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | $20,750 | Withheld | $44,276 | $51,790 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasOnlineMaster's | Master's | 8 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | $20,059 | Withheld | Withheld | $57,214 |
| Homeland SecurityOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | $25,122 | $67,338 | $71,888 | $70,193 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $92,374 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Community Organization and AdvocacyOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,936 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,568 |
| DanceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $39,980 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $88,910 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: South Carolina on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in South Carolina
- Homes: Homes for sale in South Carolina
Questions and answers
How much does Columbia College cost?
$18,408 a year is the average net price at Columbia College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $22,214, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $35,258. Families earning under $30,000 pay $17,541 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Columbia College?
94% of applicants are admitted to Columbia College. The median admission rate of colleges in South Carolina is 75%.
How much do Columbia College graduates earn?
$41,338 a year is the median pay of former Columbia College students who work, 10 years after they started ($45,863 after 6 years). That ranks 2,464 of 5,094 US colleges and 30 of 78 in South Carolina. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Homeland Security (Bachelor's) at $67,338.
How much student debt do Columbia College graduates have?
$22,750 is the median federal student loan debt of Columbia College graduates, about $241 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 65% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Columbia College?
37% of first-time, full-time students at Columbia College finish within 6 years. 60% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Columbia College?
Education, Other (150 master's graduates), Criminal Justice and Corrections (30 bachelor's graduates), Educational Administration and Supervision (27 master's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 65 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.