Helms College
Helms College is a private nonprofit community college in Augusta, GA, with about 150 students on campus.
What to know about Helms College
Most undergraduates are Black
74% of Helms College’s undergraduates are Black. The students ↓
Fewer borrowers paying down loans than at most colleges
Only 19% of federal borrowers had paid down any of their loan within three years, fewer than at 97% of U.S. colleges. Outcomes ↓
Many students are adults coming back to school
59% of undergraduates are 25 or older. Graduation rates count only first-time, full-time students, so they leave many of these students out. The students ↓
Lower-income families pay more here than at most colleges
Families earning under $30,000 still pay about $25,130 a year after grants. What it costs ↓
Helms College is very small
About 150 students attend on campus. With classes this small, a handful of students can move the graduation rate from one year to the next. The students ↓
This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard; graduation rates count only first-time, full-time students; at a college this small, rates can swing from year to year.
The students
183 degree-seeking undergraduates.
By race and ethnicity
Women and men
How hard is it to get into Helms College?
anyone with a high school diploma can enroll
Test scores of admitted students
No SAT or ACT ranges reported. Helms College is likely test-optional.
The sticker price, and what families really pay
Sticker price: $30,291 a year
Before any grants
After grants, the average family on aid pays $25,358.
Tuition and fees are $17,924 a year. The net price also counts housing, food and other costs at full price, so a student living at home pays less than it shows.
Your family’s price
Average net price after grants, by family income
About $49,058 over 2 years · 19% off the sticker price
Do students finish, and does it pay off?
Debt vs. the paycheck
The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting
$101 a month against about $2,000 a month in pay.
Paying back loans
Federal student loans, this college
of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 3% of U.S. colleges.
Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).
What students study, and what it pays
Share of degrees by field
Associate degree programs with the most graduates
And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).
Living in Augusta
7% of Augusta’s 206,559 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Augusta pages.
Other colleges within 30 miles
Straight-line distances from Helms College; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.
Ask around
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.