See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.
Orange Beach, Alabama
Columbia Southern University is a private for-profit institution offering graduate degrees based in Orange Beach, Alabama. It enrolls 12,176 students (a large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
Official website: columbiasouthern.edu
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (4-Year Open / Online). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Admissions data is not yet reported for Columbia Southern University.
The real cost of attending Columbia Southern University isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $14,580 per year. That's below the typical net price for private for-profit colleges nationally.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
38% of full-time students who enrolled at Columbia Southern University graduate within six years, and 66% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Columbia Southern University earn a median of $63,534 ten years after first enrolling. That's above the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Columbia Southern University is home to 12,176 students, a large student community. Some distinctive traits: 54% are first-generation college students.
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
Where students live, learn, and connect at Columbia Southern University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Columbia Southern University offers a varied set of programs: 38 distinct programs across 8 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Columbia Southern University is 28:1, high (larger classes are common).
230 instructional faculty across 2 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
| Rank | Faculty Count | Share | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Professors | 137 | 60% | $43,433 |
| Instructors | 93 | 40% | $29,667 |
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Columbia Southern University tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Columbia Southern University.
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
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Scout uses AI and can make mistakes. Verify important numbers on the page.
