South University-Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
$34,421
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$34,421
median earnings, 10 years after starting
South University-Columbia is a for-profit 4-year college in Columbia, South Carolina with 450 undergraduates and 54 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $27,693 a year (tuition and fees $18,145). 23% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $34,421 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $26,123 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$27,693
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$18,145
US median $11,837
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
23%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$26,123
About $277 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$34,421
Rank 3,544 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
- $27,693
- Tuition and fees
- $18,145
- Cost of attendance
- $35,322
- Students with a need-based grant
- 58%
- Students with federal loans
- 65%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $26,588
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $30,474
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $32,022
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $29,386
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 $16,761 in 2015-16 to $18,145 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
- 450
- Graduate students
- 54
- Part-time students
- 26%
- Women
- 79%
- Students per teacher
- 21
- Completion rate
- 23%
- Retention rate
- 57%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 18
- Other
- 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 3,544 of 5,094 US colleges and 51 of 78 in South Carolina (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | SC median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $27,693 | $16,583 | $28,553 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $18,145 | $12,978 | $17,408 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 75% | 91% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 23% | 46% | 50% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 57% | 69% | 67% | 75% |
| Median debt | $26,123 | $15,392 | $20,899 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $34,115 | $33,444 | $36,954 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $34,421 | $38,826 | $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. 25% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 57% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
18 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | $23,592 | $77,635 | $91,363 | $88,910 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 24 | $62,262 | $41,585 | $55,052 | $59,571 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 21 | $23,000 | $39,761 | $50,681 | $42,269 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesOnlineMaster's | Master's | 11 | $41,000 | $47,710 | $65,167 | $89,981 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineMaster's | Master's | 10 | $59,405 | $102,397 | $119,307 | $120,193 |
| Public HealthOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | $38,888 | $34,789 | $45,993 | $58,808 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 8 | $46,193 | $59,169 | $74,209 | $103,485 |
| Psychology, GeneralOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | $44,548 | $28,684 | $39,694 | $50,706 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | $39,675 | $39,722 | $46,885 | $58,716 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | $46,000 | $43,773 | $53,445 | $68,257 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | $42,354 | $37,713 | $46,322 | $55,378 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 1 | $41,000 | $41,898 | $55,950 | $66,714 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 1 | $47,778 | $36,654 | $47,390 | $61,296 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 1 | $46,988 | $113,849 | $120,256 | $126,911 |
| Information Science/StudiesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 0 | $45,268 | $44,682 | $58,915 | $85,294 |
| Public AdministrationOnlineMaster's | Master's | 0 | $52,542 | $45,666 | $47,649 | $81,408 |
| Legal Support ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | - | $44,464 | $36,900 | $49,335 | $53,266 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and AdministrationProfessional | Professional | - | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
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 South University-Columbia cost?
$27,693 a year is the average net price at South University-Columbia after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $18,145, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $35,322. Families earning under $30,000 pay $26,588 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at South University-Columbia?
South University-Columbia has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do South University-Columbia graduates earn?
$34,421 a year is the median pay of former South University-Columbia students who work, 10 years after they started ($34,115 after 6 years). That ranks 3,544 of 5,094 US colleges and 51 of 78 in South Carolina. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate certificate) at $113,849.
How much student debt do South University-Columbia graduates have?
$26,123 is the median federal student loan debt of South University-Columbia graduates, about $277 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 South University-Columbia?
23% of first-time, full-time students at South University-Columbia finish within 6 years. 57% 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 South University-Columbia?
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (37 bachelor's graduates), Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (24 master's graduates), Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (21 associate's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 18 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.