by our College Data Analytics TeamColumbia International University is a private not-for-profit institution in Columbia, South Carolina enrolling 716 undergraduates. It accepts 94% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 47%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,198 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 23%), 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 International University ranks #1,198 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 23%.
In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.
Columbia International University was awarded 8 badges in the 2027 rankings.
CIU is ranked #1,198 out of 5,159 schools in the nation for overall quality on College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges list.
Within the state, CIU holds the #10 spot on the Best Colleges in South Carolina ranking.
See all of the rankings for Columbia International University.
With an acceptance rate of 94%, Columbia International University 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 International University admissions.
With a student to faculty ratio of 13 to 1, Columbia International University is about average in this regard as the nationwide rate is 15 to 1. While this does not translate directly to class size, it’s a good indicator of how much time professors will have to spend with their students on a one-on-one basis.
Another measure that is often used to estimate how much access students will have to their professors is how many faculty members are full-time. The idea here is that part-time faculty tend to spend less time on campus, so they may not be as available to students as full-timers.
The full-time faculty percentage at Columbia International University is 96%. This is higher 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 International University this rate is 53%, which is a bit lower than the national average of 68%.
Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At CIU the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 47%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Columbia International University.
The current enrollment includes 716 undergraduates at CIU.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Columbia International University.
The overall average net price of CIU 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 + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $21,955 | $25,644 | $23,535 | $28,722 | $29,751 |
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 CIU, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
It’s not uncommon for college students to take out loans to pay for school. In fact, almost 66% of students nationwide depend at least partially on loans. At CIU, approximately 46% of students took out student loans averaging $6,559 a year. That adds up to $26,236 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 3.6%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for Columbia International University.
Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from Columbia International University with a bachelor’s degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $38,951 in their early years. This is about 21% less than the average pay for college graduates overall. However, graduates with your major may make more.
See which majors at Columbia International University make the most money.
Columbia International University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Columbia, South Carolina. Columbia is a great location for students who prefer city over country life. Get more details about the location of Columbia International University.
Get in touch with Columbia International University are given below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 7435 Monticello Rd, Columbia, SC 29203-1513 |
| Phone: | 8007772227 |
| Website: | www.ciu.edu |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/columbiainternationaluniversity |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/CIUImpact |
In the latest year of available data, students from 14 majors graduated from Columbia International University. 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 | 665 | NA |
| Business Administration & Management | 171 | NA |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 89 | NA |
| Theological & Ministerial Studies | 73 | NA |
| Missionary Studies | 68 | NA |
| Biblical Studies | 48 | $27,420 |
| Other Theology & Religion | 38 | NA |
| Clinical & Counseling Psychology | 29 | NA |
| Educational Administration | 22 | NA |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 18 | NA |
340 students took at least one online class at Columbia International University.
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
Learn more about online learning at Columbia International University.
Interested in comparing CIU? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.
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.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.