10-yr median earnings
$63,534
Federal aid recipients only
Private For-Profit · Orange Beach, Alabama
Columbia Southern University
Columbia Southern University is a private for-profit institution in Orange Beach, Alabama. as a private for-profit, published Scorecard outcomes are Title-IV-recipient medians — program mix and repayment risk deserve a closer look than a single headline number.
- 35.3%
- 150%-time completion
- $14,580
- Avg net price / yr
- $63,534
- 10-yr median earnings
The verdict
Columbia Southern University posts top-quartile former-student earnings.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 11%
- former-student earnings, US
- 35.3%
- 150%-time completion
- +15%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Town: Fringe
Carnegie: Master's (L)
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Columbia Southern University 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: Larger 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
C-
College Value Score
51/100
Columbia Southern University
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 A
$63,534
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price C+
$14,580
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
35.3%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$21,339
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment C-
58.8%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention F
71.0%
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
$14,580
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
35.3%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 35.3%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Columbia Southern University 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 Southern University 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 Southern University: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$63,534 Top 11% higher than 89% 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 Southern University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $63,534 | #583 of 5103 | 89th |
| Average net price | $14,580 | #2014 of 5020 | 60th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 35.3% | #3944 of 4858 | 19th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 12,176 | #269 of 5462 | 95th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
12,176
Undergraduate enrollment
-
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
35.3%
150%-time completion
$63,534
10-yr median earnings
71.0%
First-year retention
How Columbia Southern University ranks in Alabama
State rank among 69 reporting Alabama colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Columbia Southern University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $63,534 | #3 of 69 | 96th |
| Average net price | $14,580 | #32 of 65 | 51st (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 35.3% | #43 of 65 | 34th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 12,176 | #3 of 73 | 96th |
Highest former-student earnings in Alabama
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jersey College - Dothan | $66,087 | - |
| 2 | Auburn University | $65,337 | $24,323 |
| 3 | Columbia Southern UniversityThis school | $63,534 | $14,580 |
| 4 | University of Alabama in Huntsville | $61,767 | $18,796 |
| 5 | Marion Military Institute | $59,644 | $8,627 |
| 6 | The University of Alabama | $59,221 | $22,420 |
| 7 | Samford University | $58,469 | $32,622 |
| 8 | United States Sports University | $55,257 | $24,076 |
| 9 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | $54,501 | $18,749 |
| 10 | Cardiac and Vascular Institute of Ultrasound | $52,669 | - |
| 11 | Spring Hill College | $51,500 | $20,449 |
| 12 | Athens State University | $50,273 | - |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Columbia Southern University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$12,913 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$13,455 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$15,569 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$17,408 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Columbia Southern University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $6,760 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $6,760 |
| Average Net Price | $14,580 |
24.2%
Pell Grant Rate
25.8%
Federal Loan Rate
$21,339
Median Debt
$226/mo
Monthly Payment
What students pay at Columbia Southern University rose +48.5% since 2013
Average net price for the reported Title IV-recipient cohort went from $10,084 in 2013 to $14,975 in 2023, a rise of $4,891 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 · $10,0842023 · $14,975
Over the same years, enrollment went -11.1% (14,685 → 13,053 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
52.0%
Female
53.5%
First Generation
Outcomes
71.0%
Retention Rate
$55,140
Median Earnings (6yr)
87.7%
Earning Over $25K
58.8%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 35.3% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 71.0% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $55,140 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $63,534 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 87.7% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 58.8% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $21,339 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $226/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 12 | 2,691 | $74,014 | $95,774 | $22,176 |
| Master's | 6 | 1,817 | $79,599 | $99,847 | $38,031 |
| Associate's | 6 | 1,223 | $67,546 | $88,114 | $14,057 |
| Certificate | 3 | 66 | $83,999 | $89,203 | $22,388 |
Top programs at Columbia Southern University by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Quality Control and Safety…
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians
$99,847 median earnings
- Allied Health Diagnostic, …
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions
$95,774 median earnings
- Quality Control and Safety…
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians
$94,480 median earnings
- Homeland Security
Homeland Security
$93,851 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$89,203 median earnings
- Fire Protection
Fire Protection
$88,735 median earnings
- Fire Protection
Fire Protection
$88,114 median earnings
- Quality Control and Safety…
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians
$87,340 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
Scorecard-derived matches among reporting colleges — not school marketing or paid placement lists.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Private For-Profit institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private For-Profit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
International Beauty School
Martinsburg, WV
$14,581 net price · $1 apart
Christine Valmy International School for Esthetics Skin Care & Makeup
New York, NY
$14,570 net price · $10 apart
Sierra Academy of Style
Carson City, NV
$14,560 net price · $20 apart
Eric Fisher Academy
Wichita, KS
$14,603 net price · $23 apart
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.
Paul Mitchell the School-Esani
Roswell, GA
+$406/year · $2/year apart
John Wesley International Barber and Beauty College
Long Beach, CA
+$402/year · $2/year apart
Southwest School of Business and Technical Careers-San Antonio
San Antonio, TX
+$402/year · $2/year apart
Brown Aveda Institute-Strongsville
Strongsville, OH
+$401/year · $3/year apart
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the admissions statistics for Columbia Southern University? ▼
Columbia Southern University is a private for-profit institution in Orange Beach, Alabama. Undergraduate enrollment is 12,176 students.
How much do Columbia Southern University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Columbia Southern University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $63,534 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $55,140.
How much does Columbia Southern University cost? ▼
The average net price at Columbia Southern University is $14,580. In-state tuition is $6,760 and out-of-state tuition is $6,760. Median student debt at graduation is $21,339.
What is the graduation rate at Columbia Southern University? ▼
Columbia Southern University has a 35.3% 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 71.0%.
Is Columbia Southern University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Columbia Southern University is $21,339, while former students earn a median of $63,534 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 34% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 58.8% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $226.
Sources & methodology
Private for-profit profiles foreground Scorecard debt, repayment, and program-level earnings where reported. Marketing claims from the school are not inputs to this page.
Every figure is the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrieval. For-profit program mixes can shift year to year — treat institution medians as a starting map, then check Field-of-Study rows below. 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 Southern University
- Compare Columbia Southern University against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Alabama side by side.Browse Alabama
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
For-profit Scorecard figures are Title-IV cohort history — verify current program costs, accreditation, and repayment outcomes with the school and official aid tools.
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 for-profit profiles compile Scorecard debt/earnings and IPEDS operating fields from federal files — 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.