Private nonprofit · College

Columbia College

Columbia, South Carolina · Midsize city

93.9%
Admit rate
$18,408
Avg net price
37%
Graduation rate
$41,338
Median earnings

Columbia College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Columbia, South Carolina (midsize city setting), enrolling 1,343 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,343 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 94% admitNAIA Division I

About Columbia, South Carolina

Columbia is the capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. In May 1540, a Spanish expedition led by Hernando de Soto traversed what is now Columbia while moving northward on exploration of the interior of the Southeast. Alternacirque, professional circus that produces variety shows and full-scale themed productions. Formed in 2007, Alternacirque is directed by Natalie Brown. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
3 miles to Columbia, SC
To the ocean
104 miles
Nearest airport
9 miles to Columbia Metropolitan (CAE)

How Columbia College compares

Selectivity93.9%

More selective than 15% · #24 most selective of 29 in South Carolina

Graduation rate37%

Higher than 18% · #27 of 35 in South Carolina

First-year retention60%

Higher than 14%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,338

Higher than 16% · #23 of 35 in South Carolina

Average net price$18,408

Cheaper than 58% · #18 cheapest of 35 in South Carolina

Median debt at graduation$22,750

Lower than 55%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment1,343

Larger than 46%

Percentiles compare Columbia College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in South Carolina.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,677students
  • Undergraduate1,34380%
  • Graduate33420%

Undergraduates by gender

1,343undergrads
  • Women97473%
  • Men36927%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White37%
  • Black40%
  • Hispanic10%
  • Asian2.4%
  • Other or multiracial10%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,343
Graduate enrollment
334
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
54%
First-generation students
41%
Students over 25
43%
Median family income
$34,742
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$53,433
Endowment
$20,040,972

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 204 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From South Carolina83%
  • Other U.S. states17%

Most first-years stay in state — Columbia College draws overwhelmingly from South Carolina.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
93.9%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$22,214
Room & board
$9,390
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$35,258
Average net price
$18,408

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
37%
Graduated on time (4 years)
26%
First-year retention
60%
Transferred to another college
46%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$45,863
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$41,338
Median debt at graduation
$22,750
Students with federal loans
65%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
37%

About 11% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
26%
Low-income (Pell)
52%
First-generation
49%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
618
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
46%
Housing charge (year)
$4,180
Meal plan (year)
$4,370
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Varsity athletes
335 (147 men · 188 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (10)

Soccer66
Track and Field (Indoor)66
Track and Field (Outdoor)66
Basketball37
Softball25
Tennis20
Volleyball17
Golf13
Swimming13
Cross Country12

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,725 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

2.3reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.0
Rape
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$17,541
$30–48k
$17,017
$48–75k
$16,816
$75–110k
$22,928
$110k+
$20,399

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$74,534

$16,816/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

84%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$7,376
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 84% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $7,376. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 184 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$41,338
Typical debt at graduation
$22,750
Debt vs. one year's pay
55%
Out-earn a HS grad
48%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$40,912
Men
$59,372

Men out-earn women by $18,460 (45%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
96°F
Winter low
37°F
Annual rain
48.1″
Annual snow
0.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.75.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Columbia Univ OF SC, SC US station (3.7 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Columbia College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Columbia College side by side →

Colleges near Columbia College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.