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Columbia College

Columbia, SC 1,343 Undergrads 52.3% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$35,258
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$18,408
After Aid
Median Earnings
$52,308
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$18,408
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$52,308
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Warning: This school's reported earnings inflated significantly (+27%) when the Dept of Education excluded non-graduates from the dataset. Take caution when comparing.
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$41,338
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate52.3%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age29.2
Warning: High average starting age indicates non-traditional students with prior work experience, which may inflate the median earnings shown.
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients53.9%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time71.1%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS76.5%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
93.9%
SAT Avg
-
SAT Reading
25th: --75th: -
SAT Math
25th: --75th: -
ACT Composite
25th: --75th: -

ROI Sensitivity Analysis
Assuming 4 Years to Graduation

This analysis tests three cost scenarios (Scholarship, Average Net Price, Full Sticker Price) to show how college costs impact your long-term return compared to the average student and a high school graduate.

Lifetime Value Added (NPV)
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Institution Lifetime NPV
Vs Median Peer
Vs HS Grad
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
+$473k
+$6k
-$12k
Median Cost$18k/yr
+$407k
-$60k
-$78k
Full Cost$35k/yr
+$346k
-$121k
-$138k

ROI Efficiency Metrics
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
Never
-∞
Median Cost$18k/yr
Never
-117%
Full Cost$35k/yr
Never
-109%
Analysis Assumptions:
  • Starting Salary: Estimated from the 4-year post-graduation median earnings (assuming 2% annual growth from graduation).⚠️ Warning: The high average starting age or low completion rate may inflate the Median earnings and ROI shown.
  • Comparisons: "Vs Median Peer" compares to the median student nationwide in a similar level program. "Vs HS Grad" compares to a median high school graduate.
  • Break-Even: The age at which the college investment net income exceeds the median high school graduate's lifetime earnings.
  • NPV: Net Present Value of all future earnings minus costs and taxes, discounted at 7.8%.

Social Impact ROINew
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Measures the societal return on a donor's investment. Calculated as the incremental pre-tax lifetime earnings vs. HS grad, divided by the tax-adjusted donation cost.

Donor Return-102%

Gov. Pell Grant ROINew
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Measures the government's return on Pell Grants via increased tax revenue. Calculated as the portion of incremental lifetime taxes (discounted at 5.4%) attributed to the Pell Grant investment.

Taxpayer Return-83%
Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator, or for more sophisticated analysis, the Guided ROI Interview, with your specific estimates of cost and salary.

Program ROI Analysis
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Associate's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $44,125
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$28,598
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
-$271k
Behavioral Sciences
BachCIP: 3017
Median Debt
$18,760
Earnings (4yr)
$39,738
Natl Median: $48,673
Lifetime Value Added
-$184k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$20,059
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$21,046
Earnings (4yr)
$53,979
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
-$64k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$21,880
Earnings (4yr)
$44,280
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$145k
Median Debt
$24,094
Earnings (5yr)
$38,268
Natl Median: $58,928
Lifetime Value Added
-$203k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,936
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$68,038
Natl Median: $77,632
Lifetime Value Added
+$38k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$19,261
Earnings (4yr)
$59,371
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$20k
Dance
BachCIP: 5003
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,980
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, General
BachCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,808
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Homeland Security
BachCIP: 4303
Median Debt
$25,122
Earnings (4yr)
$71,888
Natl Median: $70,193
Lifetime Value Added
+$78k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,568
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,278
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$42,435
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$168k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$23,394
Earnings (4yr)
$32,207
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$250k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,630
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Public Health
BachCIP: 5122
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $58,808
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,560
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,471
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$20,750
Earnings (4yr)
$44,276
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
-$145k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$42,958
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
-$164k
Median Debt
$26,570
Earnings (4yr)
$46,686
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$125k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$18,579
Earnings (4yr)
$62,548
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
-$123k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$47,462
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
-$265k
Median Debt
$14,405
Earnings (4yr)
$61,821
Natl Median: $66,714
Lifetime Value Added
-$130k
Education, Other
MastCIP: 1399
Median Debt
$19,329
Earnings (4yr)
$52,401
Natl Median: $65,348
Lifetime Value Added
-$218k
Median Debt
$19,329
Earnings (4yr)
$50,070
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
-$240k

Note: Lifetime Value Added is the Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate (for undergraduate programs) or a median bachelor's degree holder (for graduate programs), accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes. Computed over a career to retirement age.

For graduate programs (Master's, Doctoral, etc.), the calculation assumes a starting age of 22 (after undergraduate completion) and does not include the sunk costs of prior degrees. It represents the value added of the graduate decision moving forward. Note that the institution's average undergraduate net price is used as a proxy for annual cost, which may differ from actual graduate tuition. These Lifetime Value Added results for graduate degrees should not be compared with those for Undergraduate Certificates, Associates or Bachelors.

Completers Only: Federal median earnings data strictly reflects outcomes for students who successfully graduated. Students who do not complete their degree typically earn significantly less and face higher risks of debt default.