Benedict College
Benedict College is a private nonprofit college in Columbia, SC, with about 1,575 students on campus.
What to know about Benedict College
Little price break for lower-income families
Families earning under $30,000 pay about $17,177 a year after grants, only $3,151 less than the $20,328 paid by families over $110,000. What it costs ↓
Benedict College is a historically Black college
It was founded to educate Black students, and 79% of undergraduates today are Black. The students ↓
Loan payments above the 10% comfort line
The typical graduate owes $32,500, about $345 a month over ten years. That’s 16.6% of a typical former student’s monthly pay six years after starting, above the 10% many advisers treat as a comfort line. Outcomes ↓
Fewer borrowers paying down loans than at most colleges
Only 13% of federal borrowers had paid down any of their loan within three years, fewer than at 99% of U.S. colleges. Outcomes ↓
A lower graduation rate than at most 4-year colleges
Only 24% of students graduate within six years, fewer than at 92% of 4-year colleges. 57% of first-year students come back for a second year. Outcomes ↓
This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
The sticker price, and what families really pay
Sticker price: $32,000 a year
Before any grants
After grants, the average family on aid pays $18,250.
Your family’s price
Average net price after grants, by family income
About $77,180 over 4 years · 40% off the sticker price
How hard is it to get into Benedict College?
of applicants admitted
About 19 of every 20 applicants get in.
Test scores of admitted students
No SAT or ACT ranges reported. Benedict College is likely test-optional and admits nearly everyone who applies.
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
$345 a month against about $2,076 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 1% 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
What students study, and what it pays
Share of degrees by field
Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates
And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).
The students
1,536 degree-seeking undergraduates.
By race and ethnicity
Women and men
Living in Columbia
19% of Columbia’s 147,035 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Columbia pages.
Other colleges within 30 miles
Straight-line distances from Benedict 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.