# Columbus State University

Public college in Columbus, GA. IPEDS ID 139366.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/columbus-state-university · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/columbus-state-university.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 99% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $13,115 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 42%; beats 55% of GA colleges and 28% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $44,544; beats 42% of GA colleges and 24% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $15,000

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $11,271 |
| 30-48k | $11,873 |
| 48-75k | $13,786 |
| 75-110k | $16,542 |
| 110k+ | $18,329 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, in-state. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.58 years on average (22% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $44,544 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in GA (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $11,271 | $51,621 | 4.7 years |
| 30-48k | $11,873 | $54,378 | 4.9 years |
| 48-75k | $13,786 | $63,140 | 5.7 years |
| 75-110k | $16,542 | $75,762 | 6.9 years |
| 110k+ | $18,329 | $83,947 | 7.6 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $21,676 in-state; about $33,388 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $5,898 in-state, $17,610 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $11,262; books: $1,600

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 440–530; SAT math: 360–530; ACT: 16–22 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 3,550 applicants, 3,523 admitted, 1,083 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 99%, ACT 16–22 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 99%, ACT 17–24 (IPEDS Admissions)

### Common Data Set 2024-25 (Fall 2024)
- Very important: none; important: none; considered: none
- Early decision: not reported; early action: not reported; waitlist: not reported
- Average high school GPA of enrolled first-years: 3.18
- Source: https://www.columbusstate.edu/institutional-research/_docs/common-data-set/cds-2024-2025.pdf

## Majors (34 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $74,454 | $89,659 | $30,980 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $56,660 | $80,694 | $31,000 |
| Finance | $46,812 | $65,380 | $25,488 |
| Management Information Systems | $53,153 | $63,514 | $26,751 |
| Accounting | $47,646 | $61,389 | $26,500 |
| Political Science | not reported | $57,008 | not reported |
| Business | $37,852 | $53,246 | $31,000 |
| Marketing | $34,223 | $52,588 | $28,500 |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | $50,864 | not reported |
| Criminal Justice | $39,714 | $49,956 | $31,000 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $29,310 | $49,912 | $30,500 |
| Business Administration | $37,561 | $49,673 | $30,722 |
| Communications | $32,078 | $48,499 | $29,500 |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | $40,616 | $48,125 | $28,040 |
| Biology | $28,947 | $47,819 | $31,000 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $41,780 | $46,723 | $30,977 |
| Health Sciences | $30,382 | $45,997 | $28,508 |
| Sociology | $34,899 | $44,506 | $38,400 |
| English | $23,987 | $42,316 | $29,114 |
| Psychology | $25,492 | $41,266 | $28,000 |
| Studio Art | $22,798 | $35,560 | $30,430 |
| Theatre | $18,769 | $34,931 | $25,802 |
| Music | not reported | $18,218 | $27,000 |
| Information Technology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Special Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Writing | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mathematics | not reported | not reported | $26,776 |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Medieval and Renaissance Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| History | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Nursing → Registered nurse: median wage $82,500 (Columbus, GA-AL), $93,550 (GA), $97,550 (U.S.)
- Computer and Information Sciences → Software developer: median wage $116,150 (Columbus, GA-AL), $131,010 (GA), $135,980 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).