College Scorecard
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $37,207. College Scorecard.
Higher than 23% of Missouri colleges we cover and 29% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 39% of Missouri colleges we cover and 26% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Columbia College acceptance rate & admissions
Test scores: College Scorecard. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Columbia College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Columbia College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Columbia College took 4.3 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Missouri. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $23,967 | $103,777 | 10.4 years |
| $30–48k | $21,168 | $91,657 | 9.2 years |
| $48–75k | $21,550 | $93,312 | 9.4 years |
| $75–110k | $23,015 | $99,655 | 10.0 years |
| $110k+ | $21,545 | $93,290 | 9.4 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (30% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($45,378) minus $35,438 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MO (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $9,940 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Columbia College majors, earnings & careers
Columbia College offers 41 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 10
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
- Humanities & Languages · 6
- Science & Math · 5
- Arts & Design · 4
- Technology & Computing · 4
- Health & Medicine · 3
- Communications & Media · 2
Highest-earning majors at Columbia College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $81,090 | $31,500 |
| Nursing | $78,632 | $35,000 |
| Management Information Systems | $74,816 | $29,500 |
| Business Administration | $64,997 | $33,703 |
| Finance | $64,555 | $18,980 |
| Human Resources | $62,392 | $35,000 |
| Health Administration | $62,060 | $34,591 |
| Business | $61,958 | $28,100 |
Quick list of all 41 majors
- Accounting$60,561
- Area Studies—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$48,950
- Business$61,958
- Business Administration$64,997
- Chemistry—
- Communications—
- Computer and Information Sciences$81,090
- Computer Science—
- Criminal Justice$56,128
- English$36,714
- Entrepreneurship—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Film and Photography—
- Finance$64,555
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- Health Administration$62,060
- History$46,794
- Human Resources$62,392
- Human Services$46,785
- Information Science / Studies—
- Information Technology—
- International Business—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$57,034
- Management Information Systems$74,816
- Marketing$51,037
- Mathematics—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Nursing$78,632
- Philosophy—
- Political Science—
- Psychology$49,166
- Public Administration—
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Real Estate—
- Security / Homeland Security—
- Sociology$49,542
- Studio Art—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Human Resources → HR specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 6.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Columbia
Overall prices in the Columbia, MO area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,076. Housing costs 31% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 43 inches of rain a year, 17 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Boone County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Boone County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Columbia College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Missouri by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia College | — | $22,715 | 42% | $45,378 | This school |
| Park University | — | $21,032 | 38% | $56,309 | |
| Lindenwood University | 57% | $19,638 | 49% | $53,278 | |
| Ranken Technical College | — | $18,795 | 53% | $55,955 | |
| Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies | — | $10,566 | 43% | $40,694 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Columbia College would cost you $1,683 more per year than Park University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Columbia College, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$8,326).
- Columbia College gives aided families $6,097 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Missouri resident | Columbia College | Park University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $25,826 | $17,500 | +$8,326 |
| Books & supplies | $480 | $1,200 | −$720 |
| Housing & meals | $8,874 | $8,978 | −$104 |
| Personal & travel | $5,248 | $4,000 | +$1,248 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,221 | −$2,251 | −$970 |
| Sticker price | $37,207 | $29,427 | +$7,780 |
| Average grants | −$14,492 | −$8,395 | −$6,097 |
| You pay | $22,715 | $21,032 | +$1,683 |
“+” means Columbia College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Columbia College
How much does Columbia College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $37,207 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $22,715 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $23,967 and families earning $110k+ pay $21,545.
How much do Columbia College graduates earn?
Former Columbia College students earn a median $45,378 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Columbia College graduation rate?
42% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 75% return for their second year.
How long does a Columbia College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Columbia College costs about $93,312 after grants ($21,550 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $45,378 ten years after starting, $9,940 more than high school graduates in Missouri ($35,438), so the cost is repaid in 9.4 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
Is Columbia College the right fit for your family?
Get a free report comparing Columbia College with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.
Build my free reportCheck my chances of getting inWe never share your contact information.
Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Columbia College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/columbia-college-mo (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).