10-yr median earnings
$41,338
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia College
Columbia College is a private nonprofit institution in Columbia, South Carolina. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $41,338
- 10-yr median earnings
- 93.9%
- Acceptance rate
- $18,408
- Avg net price / yr
- 45.1%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Columbia College pairs above-median former-student earnings with open admission.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 48%
- former-student earnings, US
- 93.9%
- acceptance rate
- 45.1%
- 150%-time completion
- -10%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Midsize
Carnegie: Master's (S)
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Columbia College profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Master's Colleges & Universities: Small Programs"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
F
College Value Score
38/100
Columbia College
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings C-
$41,338
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price D
$18,408
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
45.1%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$22,750
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment D
55.6%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention F
60.4%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$18,408
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
45.1%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 45.1%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Columbia College vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Columbia College ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Columbia College: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$41,338 Top 48% higher than 52% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Columbia College | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $41,338 | #2464 of 5103 | 52nd |
| Average net price | $18,408 | #2771 of 5020 | 45th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 45.1% | #3306 of 4858 | 32nd |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,343 | #1879 of 5462 | 66th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
1,343
Undergraduate enrollment
93.9%
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
45.1%
150%-time completion
$41,338
10-yr median earnings
60.4%
First-year retention
How Columbia College ranks in South Carolina
State rank among 78 reporting South Carolina colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Columbia College | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $41,338 | #30 of 78 | 62nd |
| Average net price | $18,408 | #53 of 82 | 35th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 45.1% | #39 of 77 | 49th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,343 | #36 of 83 | 57th |
Highest former-student earnings in South Carolina
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medical University of South Carolina | $88,420 | - |
| 2 | Citadel Military College of South Carolina | $72,085 | $20,723 |
| 3 | Clemson University | $71,513 | $22,253 |
| 4 | Wofford College | $68,964 | $18,732 |
| 5 | Furman University | $68,635 | $30,308 |
| 6 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | $62,177 | $22,811 |
| 7 | Galen Health Institutes-Myrtle Beach | $61,480 | $25,662 |
| 8 | Presbyterian College | $60,194 | $20,528 |
| 9 | College of Charleston | $56,416 | $18,960 |
| 10 | Erskine College | $53,459 | $16,525 |
| 11 | University of South Carolina-Upstate | $48,587 | $13,557 |
| 12 | University of South Carolina Beaufort | $48,088 | $14,656 |
| 30 | Columbia CollegeThis school | $41,338 | $18,408 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 93.9% |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Columbia College
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$17,541 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$17,017 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$16,816 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$20,399 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Columbia College - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $22,214 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $22,214 |
| Average Net Price | $18,408 |
54.0%
Pell Grant Rate
65.3%
Federal Loan Rate
$22,750
Median Debt
$241/mo
Monthly Payment
What students pay at Columbia College rose +44.6% since 2013
Average net price for the reported Title IV-recipient cohort went from $16,360 in 2013 to $23,650 in 2023, a rise of $7,290 in nominal dollars. Across the 4,315 colleges measured over the same 2013–2023 span, the median change was +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $16,3602023 · $23,650
Over the same years, enrollment went +25.1% (995 → 1,245 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
72.5%
Female
41.4%
First Generation
Outcomes
60.4%
Retention Rate
$45,863
Median Earnings (6yr)
54.1%
Earning Over $25K
55.6%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 45.1% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 60.4% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $45,863 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $41,338 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 54.1% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 55.6% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $22,750 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $241/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 14 | 150 | $49,053 | $71,888 | $22,094 |
| Master's | 5 | 225 | $54,860 | $62,548 | $17,911 |
Top programs at Columbia College by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Homeland Security
Homeland Security
$71,888 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$62,548 median earnings
- Criminal Justice and Corre…
Criminal Justice and Corrections
$61,821 median earnings
- Criminal Justice and Corre…
Criminal Justice and Corrections
$59,371 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$53,979 median earnings
- Education, Other
Education, Other
$52,401 median earnings
- Educational Administration…
Educational Administration and Supervision
$50,070 median earnings
- Clinical, Counseling and A…
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology
$47,462 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Private Nonprofit institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private Nonprofit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Columbia College? ▼
Columbia College is a private nonprofit institution in Columbia, South Carolina. The acceptance rate is 93.9%. Undergraduate enrollment is 1,343 students.
How much do Columbia College former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Columbia College who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $41,338 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $45,863.
How much does Columbia College cost? ▼
The average net price at Columbia College is $18,408. In-state tuition is $22,214 and out-of-state tuition is $22,214. Median student debt at graduation is $22,750.
What is the graduation rate at Columbia College? ▼
Columbia College has a 45.1% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 60.4%.
Is Columbia College worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Columbia College is $22,750, while former students earn a median of $41,338 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 55% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 55.6% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $241.
Sources & methodology
Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.
Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Columbia College
- Compare Columbia College against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in South Carolina side by side.Browse South Carolina
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.