by our College Data Analytics TeamColumbia College is a private not-for-profit institution in Columbia, South Carolina enrolling 1,343 undergraduates. It accepts 94% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 37%, near the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,807 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 35%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Columbia College ranks #1,807 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 35%.
College Factual recognizes the best colleges and universities in its annual rankings. These rankings include categories for best overall colleges, best colleges for each major, best value schools, and much more.
Columbia College was awarded 12 badges in the 2027 rankings.
College Factual ranked Columbia College South Carolina as #1,807 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list.
Within the state, Columbia College South Carolina holds the #20 spot on the Best Colleges in South Carolina ranking.
See all of the rankings for Columbia College.
With an acceptance rate of 94%, Columbia College is easier to get into than many other schools. But that doesn’t mean you can slack off on your application. Make sure to treat this school like any other when submitting requested materials and documents.
Learn more about Columbia College admissions.
At Columbia College South Carolina, the student to faculty ratio is an excellent 12 to 1. That’s much better than the national average of 15 to 1. This indicates that many classes will probably be small, and students will have ample opportunities to work closely with their professors and classmates.
In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Columbia College is 34%. This is lower than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate is a sign of how many full-time students like a college or university well enough to come back for their sophomore year. At Columbia College this rate is 60%, which is a bit lower than the national average of 68%.
When it comes to finishing their studies on time, those seeking a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College South Carolina have a four-year graduation rate of 37%. This is comparable to the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Columbia College.
In the current academic year, there are 1,343 undergraduates at Columbia College South Carolina.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Columbia College.
The overall average net price of Columbia College South Carolina is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $17,541 | $17,017 | $16,816 | $22,928 | $20,399 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Columbia College South Carolina, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At Columbia College South Carolina, approximately 65% of students took out student loans averaging $8,720 a year. That adds up to $34,880 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 8.5%. Although this is lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, you’ll still want to keep this in mind when taking out student loans. Get more details about paying for Columbia College.
Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from Columbia College with a bachelor’s degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $41,338 in their early years. Unfortunately, this is 16% less than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. However, graduates in your major field may make more.
See which majors at Columbia College make the most money.
Columbia College is an private not-for-profit institution located in Columbia, South Carolina. The location of the school is great for students who enjoy the amenities of city life. Get more details about the location of Columbia College.
Contact details for Columbia College can be found below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 1301 Columbia College Dr, Columbia, SC 29203 |
| Phone: | 8037863012 |
| Website: | www.columbiasc.edu/ |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/columbiacollegesc |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/#!/ColumbiaKoala |
During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 18 majors graduated from Columbia College. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 618 | NA |
| Other Education | 132 | $40,920 |
| Business Administration & Management | 83 | NA |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 64 | $47,504 |
| Educational Administration | 52 | NA |
| General Psychology | 38 | $27,946 |
| Communication Sciences | 33 | NA |
| Special Education | 29 | NA |
| Health/Medical Admin Services | 23 | NA |
| General Education | 17 | NA |
1,067 students took at least one online class at Columbia College.
Online courses are a great option for busy, working students as well as for those who have scheduling conflicts and want to study on their own time. As time goes by, expect to see more and more online learning options become available.
Learn more about online learning at Columbia College.
Want to see how other colleges compare to Columbia College South Carolina? Match them up using College Combat, a free interactive tool for comparing colleges on the features you care about.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
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