Photo: Akhenaton06 · CC BY-SA 3.0Columbia is a college town: 19 of every 100 residents are students
The University of South Carolina-Columbia (33,511 students on campus) and Benedict College (1,575) are inside the city. Across South Carolina, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Columbia. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college in Columbia
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
What it’s like to live in Columbia
How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.
19 of every 100 Columbia residents are in college (SC: 6).
How students change Columbia’s other numbers
Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →
Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 23.8% of Columbia residents are below the poverty line, 18.8% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 3 points either way). 54% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.
The Cost grade counts the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent, leaving it out only where students are a quarter of residents or more. Here they are 19%, so student incomes still weigh on that figure.
CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Columbia’s median age is 28.6 (South Carolina 40.2), so the adult figures describe a young population.
Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.
Colleges within 15 miles of Columbia
Seven private colleges within 10.7 miles, one public college within 8 miles, and Midlands Technical College 14 miles away.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $48–75k, where Columbia’s median household income ($55,529) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Columbia: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: South University-Columbia (10); Fortis College-Columbia (5).
What students study in Columbia
Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field across Columbia’s 4 colleges, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.
Biggest programs
College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating. Left out: South University-Columbia, Columbia College, Columbia International University, where most students study only online.
Questions about college in Columbia
Is Columbia a college town?
Yes. 19 of every 100 Columbia residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across South Carolina. The University of South Carolina-Columbia has 33,511 students on campus, next to 147,035 residents.
What colleges are in Columbia?
The University of South Carolina-Columbia, Benedict College, Columbia International University, Columbia College and 3 more are inside the city. Midlands Technical College is 14 miles away in West Columbia.
Why is Columbia’s poverty rate so high?
Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 23.8% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 18.8% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 3 points).
What is the closest community college to Columbia, and what does it cost?
Midlands Technical College in West Columbia, 14 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,100 a year for South Carolina residents; the federal net price, $4,647, counts housing and food at full cost.
How hard is it to get into the University of South Carolina-Columbia?
The University of South Carolina-Columbia admitted 60% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 1,180–1,360 on the SAT.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Columbia. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →