Columbia College vs South University-Columbia

Columbia College and South University-Columbia, both located in the heart of Columbia, South Carolina, offer distinct educational experiences. Columbia College, a private liberal arts institution, boasts a selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 68%, while South University-Columbia, a private for-profit university, maintains an open admissions policy. Columbia College's student body is predominantly female (63%), while South University-Columbia's student body is more evenly distributed between genders. In terms of academic offerings, Columbia College excels in liberal arts and sciences, with popular majors including English, history, and psychology. South University-Columbia, on the other hand, specializes in healthcare and business, with popular majors such as nursing, business administration, and healthcare administration. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these differences and more, including graduation rates, tuition costs, and available financial aid.

	Columbia College	South University-Columbia
Overview
Location	Columbia, South Carolina	Columbia, South Carolina
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (For Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	54.0%	25.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	98.6%	Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	1,278
Total number of admissions given out	1,260
Admitted students who chose to enroll	210
Yield rate	16.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	Not required
High school GPA	Required	N/A
Recommendation letters	Not required	N/A
High school transcript	Required	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$41,142	$33,088
Average net price	$20,520	$19,249
Tuition	$20,080	$16,920
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,120 Meal plan: $4,200
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $13,663	80.0% Average amount $6,127
Students receiving federal student loan	77.0% Average amount $6,081	60.0% Average amount $4,278
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $10,833	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,065 Men 15.2% Women 84.8%	486 Men 14.2% Women 85.8%
Graduate students	324 Men 12.7% Women 87.3%	139 Men 26.6% Women 73.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	15.0%	N/A
International students	0.6%	0.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	618	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	South Carolina Georgia Florida North Carolina Alabama	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Business Health Professions Liberal Arts	Health Professions Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Psychology Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	54.4%	13.3%
Dropout rate	16.3%	83.3%
Transferred out	29.4%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $51,609 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,941 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $48,181 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,123 Year 3: $42,584 Education, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,920 Year 2: $40,792 Year 3: $41,966 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,802 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $40,157 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,014 Year 2: $30,926 Year 3: $35,159 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $33,769 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,329 Year 2: $30,305 Year 3: $32,187 Behavioral Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $31,896 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,946 Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: $27,013	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $90,641 Year 2: $98,736 Year 3: $102,466 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,832 Year 2: $91,613 Year 3: $98,023 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,499 Year 2: $66,883 Year 3: $71,557 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,002 Year 2: $42,799 Year 3: $48,444 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,831 Year 2: $44,418 Year 3: $46,834 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $39,095 Year 2: $43,489 Year 3: $45,357 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,629 Year 2: $45,207 Year 3: $44,849 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,016 Year 2: $41,007 Year 3: $43,418 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,748 Year 2: $39,986 Year 3: $42,014 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,224 Year 2: $36,598 Year 3: $39,039

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Columbia College vs South University-Columbia

Columbia College

South University-Columbia

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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