Columbia Southern University

Orange Beach, AL · Private for-profit · www.columbiasouthern.edu/ ↗

Columbia Southern University is a private for-profit college in Orange Beach, Alabama, located in a town on the fringe of an urban area. It enrolls 12,176 undergraduate degree-seeking students and mostly awards bachelor's degrees. It also offers graduate degrees. It offers its programs entirely online. By number of bachelor's degrees awarded, its largest programs are Fire Protection; Business Administration, Management and Operations; and Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Compare its largest majors across colleges: Fire Protection · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians

Columbia Southern University at a glance

Undergraduate enrollment
12,176
Similar schools: 455
Average net priceiAverage sticker price minus typical grants and scholarships: the amount most students actually pay out-of-pocket plus loans.
$15,834
Similar schools: $31,853
Graduation rate (6 yrs)iShare of full-time students who finished a 4-year degree within 6 years (which is 150% of the standard 4-year time).
30.4%
Similar schools: 37.1%
Median earnings (10 yrs)iMedian earnings of students 10 years after they started college, among those working and not enrolled in further schooling.
$66,855
Similar schools: $44,016
Median debt at graduationiMedian federal student-loan balance carried by students who graduated. Doesn't include Parent PLUS or private loans.
$18,888
Similar schools: $28,667
First-year retentioniShare of first-year students who came back for year two. A baseline measure of student satisfaction.
71.0%
Similar schools: 66.7%

What the data shows about Columbia Southern University

Comparisons below use the medians for the 143 private for-profit schools that mostly award bachelor's degrees in the College Scorecard. Its average net price is $15,834 a year, lower than the $31,853 median for similar schools. 71.0% of first-time, full-time students return for a second year (similar-school median: 66.7%). 30.4% of full-time students finish a four-year degree within six years, lower than the 37.1% median. Ten years after enrolling, former students who are working earn a median of $66,855, higher than the $44,016 median for similar schools. Graduates leave with a median of $18,888 in federal student loans (similar-school median: $28,667).