College · Private nonprofit · Columbia, MO · City
Columbia College
Columbia, MO
Religious affiliation
Admit rate—
6-yr median pay$41k
Net price / yr$23k
Undergrad size4,950
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $23k/yr for a shot at a $41k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of unspecified means this is admit rate not reported for this school.
If you get in
4,950 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $37k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $23k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$149k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$91k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$58k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback2.2x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $25.8k
- Room & board
- $9.6k
- Books & supplies
- $480
How students pay for it.
Pell grants45%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans41%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$24k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $11k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
1-yr retention72%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr42%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$41k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$45k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- City
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 4,950
- Location
- Columbia, MO
- Region
- Plains (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
- Carnegie class
- Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
- Size & setting
- Four-year · medium · primarily nonresidential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · higher part-time
- Accreditor
- Higher Learning Commission
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White53%
- Black21%
- Hispanic12%
- Two or more races6%
- International3%
- Asian2%
- Unknown1%
- American Indian / Alaska Native1%
First-gen students49%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time50%
Many students enroll part-time — often working.
Veterans1%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$26k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 41
What you can study.