by our College Data Analytics TeamThis guide covers the real cost of attending South University-Columbia, covering the cost range, projected degree costs, net price, debt at graduation, default rates, and aid distribution patterns.
Use the section links below to navigate this overview:
Published attendance costs at South University-Columbia works out to about $31,298.00 a year.
Below, the published cost is shown three ways — the full sticker price with no aid, the net price after the average grant package, and the net price for low-income students who typically receive the most aid.
| Tuition and fees | $18,145.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $13,153.00 |
| Total cost | $31,298.00 |
| That is 5% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $31,298.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$7,629.00 |
| Net price | $23,669.00 |
| That is 28% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $31,298.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$8,734.00 |
| Net price | $22,564.00 |
| That is 31% below the national average net price. | |
| Want the line-by-line detail? Dig into tuition and fees plus room and board. |
The reported cost series has been increasing at about 2.2% annually, so the projections below total more than one year of attendance. These tables carry the cost across a degree for three cases: low-income w/ aid, average aid, and no aid. Loan math assumes ten-year repayment at 6.8% interest.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.2% |
| Freshman year | $23,067.00 | $24,196.00 | $31,995.00 |
| Senior year | $24,643.00 | $25,850.00 | $34,182.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $95,397.00 | $100,068.00 | $132,322.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $36,343.00 | $38,122.00 | $50,410.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $1,098.00 | $1,152.00 | $1,523.00 |
| Total amount paid | $131,739.00 | $138,191.00 | $182,733.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.2% |
| Freshman year | $23,067.00 | $24,196.00 | $31,995.00 |
| Senior year | $23,581.00 | $24,735.00 | $32,708.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $46,647.00 | $48,932.00 | $64,704.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $17,771.00 | $18,641.00 | $24,650.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $537.00 | $563.00 | $745.00 |
| Total amount paid | $64,418.00 | $67,573.00 | $89,353.00 |
Jump to the net-price detail in the net-price section.
Net price strips out grant and scholarship aid to show what families really pay. For most prospective students, net price gives a more realistic estimate than sticker tuition.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $27,693.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $22,886.00 |
Net price is not the same for every family — it falls as financial need rises and grant aid increases. The breakdown below splits average net price across income brackets:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $22,895.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $22,854.00 |
Run your own numbers with the South University-Columbia 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 amount borrowed by graduates of South University-Columbia stands at $13,000.00, placing the school in the Low ($10-20k) debt-load classification.
The percentile breakdown reveals the full debt landscape:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $2,501.00 |
| 25th | $4,750.00 |
| Median (50th) | $13,000.00 |
| 75th | $22,542.00 |
| 90th | $37,500.00 |
The distance from the 10th to the 90th percentile shows how widely debt outcomes vary.
Read the complete debt breakdown on the student loan debt page.
Student debt at graduation is not evenly distributed across income levels. The figures below split graduating borrowers into three income brackets:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,643.00 |
| Middle income | $15,278.00 |
| High income | $14,700.00 |
First-generation college students often carry different debt loads than their continuing-generation peers.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,883.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,576.00 |
Pell Grant eligibility is a useful proxy for low-income status among undergraduates. The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap reveals how borrowing differs by need.
The gap between Pell-eligible and non-Pell median debt at South University-Columbia works out to $824.00. The Department of Education flags this school for a Pell-debt-inequity pattern.
The default-rate category at South University-Columbia is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 17.4% |
To give some context for these rates, Stafford loans disbursed at South University-Columbia amount to $3,048,464,527.00 covering 130,230 loan recipients.
Veterans and active-duty servicemembers can tap dedicated federal aid programs including the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Department of Defense Tuition Assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 46 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $9,780.00 |
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 3 |
| Avg DoD Tuition Assistance | $1,665.00 |
Read more about military and veteran aid on the college veterans page.
Use the figures above as a launch point, then think through South University-Columbia, keep these questions in mind:
Use the pages below to go deeper on a specific part of the cost story:
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.