Private for-profit · Community college

Columbia College

Vienna, Virginia · Large suburb

2%
Transfer rate: $10,171
Avg net price: 80%
Grad / completion: $22,160
Median earnings

Columbia College is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Vienna, Virginia (large suburb setting), enrolling 151 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitSmall · 151 undergradsLarge suburbCold wintersNear the coast

About Vienna, Virginia

Vienna is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, and a suburb of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Vienna. European settlement in the region dates to the mid-18th century. In 1754, soldier and landowner Colonel Charles Broadwater settled within the town boundaries. MAE-East is located in Vienna. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Large suburb
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 12 miles to Washington, DC
To the ocean: 10 miles
Nearest airport: 11 miles to Washington Dulles (IAD) · major hub

How Columbia College compares

Graduation rate80%

Higher than 77% · #14 of 65 in Virginia

First-year retention85%

Higher than 74%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$22,160

Higher than 9% · #59 of 62 in Virginia

Average net price$10,171

Cheaper than 69% · #26 cheapest of 61 in Virginia

Median debt at graduation$7,940

Lower than 73%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 73%

Undergraduate enrollment151

Larger than 37%

Percentiles compare Columbia College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Virginia.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women9966%
Men5234%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White16%
Black2.0%
Hispanic2.0%
Asian25%
Other or multiracial56%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 151
Student–faculty ratio: 12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 34%
First-generation students: 65%
Students over 25: 85%
Median family income: $3,102
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $24,282

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

Cost

In-state tuition: —
Room & board: —
Total cost of attendance: —
Average net price: $10,171

Outcomes

Graduated: 80%
First-year retention: 85%
Transferred to another college: 2%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $23,950
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $22,160
Median debt at graduation: $7,940
Students with federal loans: 16%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 70%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

80%

First-generation

72%

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: No
Application fee: $100

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

$10,042

$30–48k

$10,246

$48–75k

$11,163

$75–110k

—

$110k+

—

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.

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.

15%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$2,160

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 15% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,160. 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 100 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): $22,160
Typical debt at graduation: $7,940
Debt vs. one year's pay: 36%
Out-earn a HS grad: —

Typical debt would take roughly 3.6 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

$20,839

Men

$33,612

Men out-earn women by $12,773 (61%) 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: 84°F
Winter low: 23°F
Annual rain: 43.6″
Annual snow: 18.5″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Vienna, VA US station (3.3 mi from campus).

What Columbia College graduates study — and earn

Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic ServicesCert.

73 grads$17k 1 yr— 5 yr$5k debt

73$17,237—$4,665 Computer ScienceAssoc.

9 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

9———Culinary Arts and Related ServicesAssoc.

7 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

7———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

7 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

7———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssoc.

6 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

6———English Language and Literature, GeneralAssoc.

6 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

6———Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsCert.

3 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

3———Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsAssoc.

1 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

1———English Language and Literature, GeneralCert.

— grads$20k 1 yr$23k 5 yr— debt

—$20,322$23,486—

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.

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

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Colleges near Columbia College

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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.