by our College Data Analytics TeamThis overview lays out the cost of attending Lower Columbia College, from the published cost of attendance and projected degree cost through to net price, median student debt at graduation, default outcomes, and how aid varies by family income.
If you want to dig into a particular figure, jump to any section below:
The total cost of attendance at Lower Columbia College spanned $16,748.00 to $18,125.00 depending on your residency status.
In-state residents qualified for the lower cost, with out-of-state students paying more: close to $16,748.00 in-state compared with $18,125.00 for non-residents.
The blocks below show what you would pay with no aid, with average aid, and as a low-income student.
| Tuition and fees | $4,626.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $12,122.00 |
| Total cost | $16,748.00 |
| That is 13% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $16,748.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$8,539.00 |
| Net price | $8,209.00 |
| That is 57% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $16,748.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$10,091.00 |
| Net price | $6,657.00 |
| That is 65% below the national average net price. |
| Tuition and fees | $6,003.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $12,122.00 |
| Total cost | $18,125.00 |
| That is 6% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $18,125.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$8,539.00 |
| Net price | $9,586.00 |
| That is 50% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $18,125.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$10,091.00 |
| Net price | $8,034.00 |
| That is 58% below the national average net price. | |
| For the full breakdown, see tuition and fees and room and board. |
Published costs have climbed year over year by roughly 3.6% per year; the projections below compound that across a degree. These tables carry the cost across a degree for three cases: low-income w/ aid, average aid, and no aid. The repayment figures use a ten-year loan at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.6% | 3.6% | 3.6% |
| Freshman year | $6,896.00 | $8,504.00 | $17,350.00 |
| Senior year | $7,667.00 | $9,454.00 | $19,288.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $29,108.00 | $35,894.00 | $73,231.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $11,089.00 | $13,674.00 | $27,898.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $335.00 | $413.00 | $843.00 |
| Total amount paid | $40,197.00 | $49,568.00 | $101,129.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.6% | 3.6% | 3.6% |
| Freshman year | $6,896.00 | $8,504.00 | $17,350.00 |
| Senior year | $7,144.00 | $8,810.00 | $17,973.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $14,040.00 | $17,314.00 | $35,323.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $5,349.00 | $6,596.00 | $13,457.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $162.00 | $199.00 | $407.00 |
| Total amount paid | $19,389.00 | $23,909.00 | $48,780.00 |
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.6% | 3.6% | 3.6% |
| Freshman year | $8,323.00 | $9,930.00 | $18,776.00 |
| Senior year | $9,253.00 | $11,040.00 | $20,874.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $35,129.00 | $41,915.00 | $79,252.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $13,383.00 | $15,968.00 | $30,192.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $404.00 | $482.00 | $912.00 |
| Total amount paid | $48,512.00 | $57,883.00 | $109,444.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.6% | 3.6% | 3.6% |
| Freshman year | $8,323.00 | $9,930.00 | $18,776.00 |
| Senior year | $8,622.00 | $10,287.00 | $19,451.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $16,945.00 | $20,218.00 | $38,227.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $6,455.00 | $7,702.00 | $14,563.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $195.00 | $233.00 | $440.00 |
| Total amount paid | $23,400.00 | $27,920.00 | $52,791.00 |
For the complete net-price picture, see the Net Price section.
Net price reflects the true cost to attend after grant and scholarship aid is deducted. It is usually a better planning number than the sticker cost above.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $7,630.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $8,222.00 |
Net price is far from uniform: lower-income families typically pay much less after aid. Below, average net price is broken out by family income:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $6,427.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $8,037.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $9,265.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $14,179.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $15,683.00 |
Run your own numbers with the Lower Columbia College Net Price Calculator, or get in touch with the financial aid office.
Dig into how aid is awarded on the grants & scholarships detail.
The median graduating debt at Lower Columbia College amounts to $6,487.00, landing it in the Very Low (<$10k) debt-load classification.
The percentile breakdown reveals the full debt landscape:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $1,684.00 |
| 25th | $3,167.00 |
| Median (50th) | $6,487.00 |
| 75th | $15,282.00 |
| 90th | $23,993.00 |
The gap between 10th and 90th percentile borrowers gives a sense of how uneven debt outcomes are.
For the full borrowing and repayment picture, see the student-loan-debt breakdown.
Family income tracks closely with debt at graduation. The figures below split graduating borrowers into three income brackets:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,917.00 |
| Middle income | $6,332.00 |
| High income | $5,347.00 |
Borrowers from lower-income families leave school with $2,570.00 in additional median debt versus high-income graduates.
Debt at graduation often differs for first-generation students.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,500.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,086.00 |
First-gen borrowers at Lower Columbia College take on $414.00 more than continuing-generation graduates.
Pell Grants are the federal government’s primary need-based undergraduate aid program. The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap reveals how borrowing differs by need.
The gap between Pell-eligible and non-Pell median debt at Lower Columbia College stands at $2,171.00. This school carries a federal Pell-debt-inequity flag.
The federal default-rate classification for Lower Columbia College is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 19.0% |
For a sense of scale, Stafford disbursements at Lower Columbia College total $74,683,316.00 over 6,285 loan recipients.
Veterans and active-duty students can access dedicated federal education aid such as the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 51 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $3,357.00 |
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 7 |
| Avg DoD Tuition Assistance | $2,547.00 |
Dig into veteran education benefits on the college veterans page.
The data above is a foundation; round it out by asking yourself about Lower Columbia College, think through the questions below:
Each page below covers one part of paying for college in more detail:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.