by our College Data Analytics TeamThe majority of students will never be charged the complete price tag of a school. Rather, they are presented a financial aid deal that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The sum total of attendance at South University-Columbia can sound overpowering, but remember that the majority of students get some type of financial assistance.
What financial assistance options will South University, Columbia offer you, and what will you qualify for? Read on for more information. Scroll down to learn how much school funding will be available to you.
The amount of financial aid and scholarships you are eligible for will vary depending on your family’s income. Use the information below to understand how much financial assistance you may get from South University-Columbia.
Financial assistance, available as scholarships, loans, and work-study, is a way schools lower the price of attendance so many students can enroll. Keep in mind that certain forms of assistance are more beneficial than others, and aid amounts differ from student to student.
Looking at the entering class at South University-Columbia, 100% of new full-time first-years were awarded at least some aid around 19 freshmen).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 100% | $8,438 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 47% | $4,306 |
| Federal Pell grants | 84% | $6,304 |
| State/local grants | 11% | $2,601 |
| Federal student loans | 84% | $8,909 |
Gift aid — grants and scholarships — beats loans every time because none of it has to be repaid. At this school, some 91% of undergraduates were awarded an average grant or scholarship of $7,398 (across roughly 404 awardees).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 91% | $7,398 |
| Federal Pell grants | 58% | $4,774 |
| Federal student loans | 65% | $7,921 |
On-campus students receiving title-IV aid were awarded grants averaging $7,629.
Since aid is largely need-based, the real cost of attendance falls steeply for lower-income families.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $22,886 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $22,854 |
Remember these are net prices — what families pay after gift aid, not before.
Net price is the average annual cost after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the published cost of attendance — the figure closest to what a typical aid-receiving student actually pays.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $27,693 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $22,886 |
For a personalized estimate based on your family’s financial situation, use South University, Columbia’s NPC: www.southuniversity.edu/columbia/net-price-calculator.
Graduating students at South University, Columbia carry a median federal student debt of $13,000 in federal student debt.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $13,000 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $26,123 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $276.95/mo |
That monthly figure reflects the median graduate debt repaid on a standard 10-year federal schedule.
The numbers below show the full range, not just the middle of the distribution. Use the percentiles below to see the debt range at South University, Columbia.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,501 |
| 25th percentile | $4,750 |
| 75th percentile | $22,542 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,500 |
Debt outcomes are not uniform — they shift with income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Debt by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,643 |
| Middle income | $15,278 |
| High income | $14,700 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Median Debt
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,883 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,576 |
Dependent vs Independent Students
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,668 |
| Independent students | $12,990 |
The figure below distills the debt data into a single burden category for South University, Columbia.
Most undergraduate borrowing runs through the federal Stafford loan program. Below is the annual Stafford program activity at South University, Columbia:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 130230 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $3,048,464,527 |
If you are a veteran or active-duty service member, the GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the primary federal programs you can use at this school.
GI Bill volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 46 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $449,901 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $9,780 |
Active-duty Tuition Assistance recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 3 |
| Total DoD amount | $4,995 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $1,665 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.