Public · Community college

Columbia State Community College

Columbia, Tennessee · Fringe town

#5 best value in Tennessee
17%
Transfer rate
$4,734
Avg net price
30%
Grad / completion
$40,256
Median earnings

Columbia State Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Columbia, Tennessee (fringe town setting), enrolling 3,897 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 3,897 undergradsFringe townNJCAA Division ICold winters

About Columbia, Tennessee

Columbia is a city in and the county seat of Maury County, Tennessee. A year after the organization of Maury County in 1807, Columbia was laid out in 1808 and lots were sold. The original town, on the south bank of the Duck River, consisted of four blocks. The town was incorporated in 1817. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe town
Highest degree offered
Associate
To the ocean
341 miles
Nearest airport
42 miles to Nashville (BNA) · major hub

How Columbia State Community College compares

Graduation rate30%

Higher than 12% · #75 of 81 in Tennessee

First-year retention55%

Higher than 16%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$40,256

Higher than 69% · #13 of 70 in Tennessee

Average net price$4,734

Cheaper than 92% · #5 cheapest of 82 in Tennessee

Median debt at graduation$8,500

Lower than 70%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment3,897

Larger than 89%

Percentiles compare Columbia State Community 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 Tennessee.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

3,897undergrads
  • Women2,45763%
  • Men1,44037%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White70%
  • Black8.2%
  • Hispanic12%
  • Asian2.1%
  • Other or multiracial6.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,897
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
30%
First-generation students
44%
Students over 25
17%
Median family income
$26,796
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$59,004
Endowment
$15,547,747

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 1,248 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Tennessee99%
  • Other U.S. states1.2%

Most first-years stay in state — Columbia State Community College draws overwhelmingly from Tennessee.

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.

Cost

In-state tuition
$5,296
Out-of-state tuition
$18,112
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$13,179
Average net price
$4,734

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
30%
First-year retention
55%
Transferred to another college
17%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$35,400
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$40,256
Median debt at graduation
$8,500
Students with federal loans
5%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
39%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
30%
Low-income (Pell)
21%
First-generation
22%

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
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
95 (54 men · 41 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 (4)

Baseball38
Basketball24
Soccer21
Softball12

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (5,712 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.

0.7reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
0.3
Burglary
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
$4,083
$30–48k
$4,125
$48–75k
$5,995
$75–110k
$5,706
$110k+
$6,252

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.

6%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,557
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 6% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,557. 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 1,120 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)
$40,256
Typical debt at graduation
$8,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
21%
Out-earn a HS grad
47%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.1 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
$36,404
Men
$48,348

Men out-earn women by $11,944 (33%) 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
89°F
Winter low
27°F
Annual rain
56.8″
Annual snow
0.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Columbia 3 Wnw, TN US station (1.7 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 State Community College

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

Colleges near Columbia State Community 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.