Columbia Southern University
Orange Beach, Alabama · Website
$63,534
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$63,534
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Columbia Southern University is a for-profit 4-year college in Orange Beach, Alabama with 12,176 undergraduates and 5,550 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $14,580 a year (tuition and fees $6,760). 33% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $63,534 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $21,339 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$14,580
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$6,760
US median $11,837
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
33%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$21,339
About $226 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$63,534
Rank 583 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
- $14,580
- Tuition and fees
- $6,760
- Cost of attendance
- $18,226
- Students with a need-based grant
- 24%
- Students with federal loans
- 26%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $12,913
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $13,455
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $15,569
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $16,226
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $17,408
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 $5,175 in 2015-16 to $6,760 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
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 12,176
- Graduate students
- 5,550
- Part-time students
- 34%
- Women
- 36%
- Students per teacher
- 37
- Completion rate
- 33%
- Retention rate
- 71%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 57
- Other
- Online only, Open admission
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 583 of 5,094 US colleges and 3 of 69 in Alabama (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | AL median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $14,580 | $15,258 | $28,553 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $6,760 | $9,862 | $17,408 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 77% | 91% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 33% | 42% | 50% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 71% | 67% | 67% | 75% |
| Median debt | $21,339 | $21,000 | $20,899 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $55,140 | $32,851 | $36,954 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $63,534 | $39,842 | $40,092 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US for-profit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 43% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 77% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
57 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 953 | $39,043 | $70,859 | $79,103 | $103,485 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 594 | $23,998 | $58,468 | $69,343 | $68,257 |
| Fire ProtectionOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 585 | $20,895 | $82,718 | $88,735 | $86,436 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/TechniciansOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 521 | $23,425 | $78,532 | $94,480 | $86,525 |
| Fire ProtectionOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 432 | $9,500 | $75,326 | $88,114 | $73,589 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/TechniciansOnlineMaster's | Master's | 378 | $32,386 | $87,712 | $99,847 | $103,349 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/TechniciansOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 307 | $13,910 | $74,871 | $87,340 | $77,094 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 256 | $20,209 | $60,461 | $70,354 | $55,378 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 192 | $16,640 | $49,820 | $61,433 | $48,733 |
| Public AdministrationOnlineMaster's | Master's | 149 | $40,144 | $63,643 | $74,452 | $81,408 |
| Homeland SecurityOnlineMaster's | Master's | 131 | $37,075 | $85,364 | $93,851 | $96,660 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 128 | $23,621 | $51,692 | $61,821 | $58,716 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 99 | $16,266 | $55,667 | $62,009 | $44,125 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 98 | $12,140 | $58,241 | $66,000 | $46,706 |
| Human Resources Management and ServicesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 96 | $21,862 | $53,843 | $62,061 | $68,069 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 93 | $25,000 | $38,439 | $49,618 | $52,119 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 90 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 75 | $19,843 | $61,894 | $77,738 | $85,063 |
| Public HealthOnlineMaster's | Master's | 64 | $39,955 | $58,278 | $66,208 | $82,751 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 61 | $22,078 | $74,546 | $81,292 | $55,012 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 60 | $20,057 | $83,927 | $95,774 | $70,786 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 57 | $39,585 | $61,993 | $64,135 | $66,714 |
| Homeland SecurityOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 57 | $21,628 | $62,313 | $73,703 | $70,193 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 53 | $23,491 | $53,644 | $63,248 | $92,374 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineDoctoral | Doctoral | 41 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $113,566 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Orange Beach and Alabama on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Alabama
- Homes: Homes for sale in Alabama
Questions and answers
How much does Columbia Southern University cost?
$14,580 a year is the average net price at Columbia Southern University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $6,760, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $18,226. Families earning under $30,000 pay $12,913 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Columbia Southern University?
Columbia Southern University has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Columbia Southern University graduates earn?
$63,534 a year is the median pay of former Columbia Southern University students who work, 10 years after they started ($55,140 after 6 years). That ranks 583 of 5,094 US colleges and 3 of 69 in Alabama. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Master's) at $87,712.
How much student debt do Columbia Southern University graduates have?
$21,339 is the median federal student loan debt of Columbia Southern University graduates, about $226 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 26% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Columbia Southern University?
33% of first-time, full-time students at Columbia Southern University finish within 6 years. 71% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of for-profit 4-year colleges is 50%.
What are the most popular majors at Columbia Southern University?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (953 master's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (594 bachelor's graduates), Fire Protection (585 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 57 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.