More selective than 17% of South Carolina colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $35,258. College Scorecard.
Higher than 21% of South Carolina colleges we cover and 20% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 32% of South Carolina colleges we cover and 16% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Columbia College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 2,163 applicants, Columbia College admitted 2,072 and 204 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. 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 4.1 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 South Carolina. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $17,541 | $72,269 | 9.2 years |
| $30–48k | $17,017 | $70,110 | 9.0 years |
| $48–75k | $16,816 | $69,282 | 8.9 years |
| $75–110k | $22,928 | $94,463 | 12.1 years |
| $110k+ | $20,399 | $84,044 | 10.7 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (48% 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 ($41,338) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in SC (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $7,822 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 53 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 13
- Health & Medicine · 8
- Humanities & Languages · 7
- Business & Finance · 6
- Science & Math · 5
- Communications & Media · 4
- Education · 4
- Arts & Design · 3
- Technology & Computing · 3
Highest-earning majors at Columbia College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Homeland Security | $71,888 | $27,855 |
| Criminal Justice | $59,371 | $26,773 |
| Business Administration | $53,979 | $27,000 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $46,686 | $28,000 |
| Communications | $44,280 | $28,644 |
| Social Work | $44,276 | $28,674 |
| Behavioral Sciences | $39,738 | $33,539 |
| Psychology | $32,207 | $30,494 |
Quick list of all 53 majors
- Accounting—
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Behavioral Sciences$39,738
- Biochemistry—
- Biology—
- Broadcasting / Digital Media—
- Business Administration$53,979
- Chemistry—
- Communications$44,280
- Community Organization and Advocacy—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other—
- Criminal Justice$59,371
- Dance—
- Data Analytics—
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$46,686
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Fire Protection—
- Health Administration—
- Health Sciences—
- History—
- Homeland Security$71,888
- Hospitality Management—
- Human Development and Family Studies—
- Human Services—
- Interdisciplinary Studies—
- International Business—
- Journalism—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Marketing—
- Mathematics—
- Music—
- Nursing—
- Political Science—
- Pre-Med / Pre-Health—
- Psychology$32,207
- Psychology (Clinical / Counseling)—
- Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other—
- Public Health—
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Religious Studies—
- Security / Homeland Security—
- Social Work$44,276
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education—
- Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders—
- Studio Art—
- Writing—
— 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 →Criminal Justice → Police officer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Social Work → Social worker
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 4.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Columbia
Overall prices in the Columbia, SC area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,226. Housing costs 21% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 48 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: hurricane (relatively high); tornado (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Richland County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Richland County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Columbia College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in South Carolina 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 | 94% | $18,408 | 37% | $41,338 | This school |
| Coker University | 94% | $20,286 | 40% | $40,117 | |
| Newberry College | 90% | $21,656 | 45% | $48,040 | |
| Columbia International University | 94% | $26,036 | 47% | $38,951 | |
| Benedict College | 96% | $18,250 | 24% | $31,902 |
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 $1,878 less per year than Coker University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Columbia College, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$11,202).
- Coker University gives aided families $8,669 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, South Carolina resident | Columbia College | Coker University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $22,214 | $33,416 | −$11,202 |
| Books & supplies | $960 | $3,000 | −$2,040 |
| Housing & meals | $8,550 | $10,882 | −$2,332 |
| Personal & travel | $4,940 | $1,632 | +$3,308 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,406 | −$3,125 | +$1,719 |
| Sticker price | $35,258 | $45,805 | −$10,547 |
| Average grants | −$16,850 | −$25,519 | +$8,669 |
| You pay | $18,408 | $20,286 | −$1,878 |
“+” 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
What is the Columbia College acceptance rate?
Columbia College accepts 94% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 2,072 of 2,163 applicants were admitted.
How much does Columbia College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $35,258 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $18,408 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $17,541 and families earning $110k+ pay $20,399.
How much do Columbia College graduates earn?
Former Columbia College students earn a median $41,338 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?
37% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 60% 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 $69,282 after grants ($16,816 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $41,338 ten years after starting, $7,822 more than high school graduates in South Carolina ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 8.9 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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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-sc (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).