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University or college · Public

Columbus State University

Columbus, GA2,204 online only

Columbus State University is a public university in Columbus, GA, with about 5,406 students on campus and 2,204 more studying only online.

Visit www.columbusstate.edu ↗Directions
Students on campus
5,406
plus 2,204 studying only online
Admission rate
99%
higher than at 95% of 4-year colleges
Net price a year
$13,115
lower than at 80% of 4-year colleges
Graduation rate
42%
lower than at 74% of 4-year colleges
Earnings, 10 yrs later
$44,544
higher than at 60% of U.S. colleges
Getting in

How hard is it to get into Columbus State University?

99%

of applicants admitted

About 20 of every 20 applicants get in.

Test scores of admitted students

SAT reading
440–530
SAT math
360–530
ACT
16–22

The middle 50%: a quarter scored below the range and a quarter above it. Average SAT: 977.

What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $21,676 a year

Before any grants · out-of-state tuition $17,610

Tuition & fees (in state) $5,898Room & board $11,720Books & supplies $1,600Other costs $2,458

After grants, the average family on aid pays $13,115.

Your family’s price

Average net price after grants, by family income

$13,786

About $55,144 over 4 years · 36% off the sticker price

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k
Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate
42%
within 6 years · Pell students 37%
Come back for year two
70%
full-time first-year students
Earnings, 10 years later
$44,544
median, students on federal aid
Typical debt
$26,000
about $276 a month over 10 years

Debt vs. the paycheck

The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting

8.4%
0%10%: a common comfort line25%

$276 a month against about $3,266 a month in pay.

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

38%

of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 34% 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).

Earnings by family background

Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment

Lower incomeunder $30k
$42k
Middle income$30–75k
$47k
Higher incomeover $75k
$49k
Majors

What students study, and what it pays

Share of degrees by field

Business 16%Health professions 13%Public safety 12%Computer science 10%Visual & performing arts 10%Parks, recreation & fitness 5%Everything else 34%

Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates

And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing114 graduates a year · typical debt $20,744
$90k4 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences, General61 graduates a year · typical debt $29,750
$81k4 yrs out
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General61 graduates a year · typical debt $26,970
$46k4 yrs out
Biology, General59 graduates a year · typical debt $27,275
$48k4 yrs out
Business/Commerce, General55 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$53k4 yrs out
Communication and Media Studies53 graduates a year · typical debt $27,235
$48k4 yrs out
Psychology, General46 graduates a year · typical debt $25,390
$41k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness44 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$50k4 yrs out
Who goes there

The students

5,625 degree-seeking undergraduates.

By race and ethnicity

White 42%Hispanic 9%Black 37%Asian 2%Two or more 5%International 1%

Women and men

Women 57%Men 43%
16 : 1
students per teacher
45%
get Pell grants (lower income)
38%
take federal loans
24%
undergrads 25 or older
28%
study part time
The town around it

Living in Columbus

6% of Columbus’s 202,171 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Columbus pages.

Columbus →
ColumbusColumbus, GA
$1,106/momedian rent · 21% below the state$176Ktypical home valueDSafety Grade36° / 92°January low / July highC−Health GradeAll colleges in and near ColumbusCompare prices, admissions and outcomes
Nearby

Other colleges within 30 miles

Straight-line distances from Columbus State University; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.

Columbus Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Columbus
2.2 mi2,140 students
Chattahoochee Valley Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Phenix City
7.5 mi1,450 students
Point UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · West Point · mostly online
29.7 mi1,361 students

Ask around

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

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Start the conversation

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.