The Hetchinger Report
Covering Innovation & Inequality in Education
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Total cost and more

Columbia Southern University

Orange Beach, AL
For-profit 4-year school
$22,471projected sticker price
$16,083projected average net price for
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This year at Columbia Southern University, we project that on average students will pay $16,083, while the advertised price of attendance is $22,471. That’s a difference of $6,388.

Prices at Columbia Southern University over time for

$5K
$10K
$15K
$20K
14-15
16-17
18-19
20-21
22-23
24-25
$22,471
sticker price
$16,083
net price
Upper net price estimation
Projected net price
Lower net price estimation
YearNet in-state price at Columbia Southern UniversityIn-state sticker price at Columbia Southern University
25-26$16,083$22,471
24-25$15,475$21,622
23-24$14,890$20,804
22-23$14,085$19,679
21-22$12,366$19,177
20-21$12,474$17,809
19-20$11,241$17,283
18-19$10,951$16,503
17-18$10,547$15,935
16-17$11,061$15,530
15-16$11,294$15,483
14-15$10,902$14,738
13-14$9,261$13,615

How much a student actually pays usually depends, at least in part, on their family's household income. At Columbia Southern University this year, we project students with incomes over $110K will pay around $20,415, while students with incomes below $30K will pay around $15,726. That's a difference of $4,689.

Net price by income bracket, 25-26 school year

$15,726
$17,575
$16,458
$18,632
$20,415
<$30K
$30K-$48K
$48K-$75K
$75K-$110K
>$110K
Income bracketProjected net price at Columbia Southern University
<$30K$15,726
$30K-$48K$17,575
$48K-$75K$16,458
$75K-$110K$18,632
>$110K$20,415

School details

Located in Orange Beach, AL
For-profit 4-year school
26% graduation rate

Graduation Rates

A school’s graduation rate can indicate how likely a student is to complete their degree. At Columbia Southern University, over the last five years 26% of students earned their bachelor’s degree within six years of enrolling.

26% overall grad rate
Nat’l average

Students from different demographic backgrounds often graduate at different rates, so it can be helpful to look beyond the overall graduation rate. This chart shows how students of different races and ethnicities fare earning their degrees at Columbia Southern University.

American Indian/Alaska Native
Asian
Black
Hispanic
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
White
Multiple races
Unknown race
Nat’l avg.
20%
14%
17%
24%
25%
32%
18%
34%
Demographic categoryGraduation rate at Columbia Southern UniversityNational average
American Indian/Alaska Native20%31%
Asian14%45%
Black17%34%
Hispanic24%41%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander25%28%
White32%50%
Multiple races18%37%
Unknown race34%37%

Student Retention

Student retention, or how often students return to continue their degree after completing their first year, is another helpful indicator. Over the last five years, at Columbia Southern University, about 53% of full-time students returned the following fall to continue their degree.

Full-time students

53%retention
Nat’l average: 64%

Part-time students

36%retention
Nat’l average: 32%

Student Demographics

The size and demographic makeup of a school’s student body can have a large impact on a student’s experience. Columbia Southern University has 28,957 students, which puts it in the {SIZE_PERCENTILE} percentile of for-profit, 4-year schools.

0 students
1+ students
28,957 students

About 64% of students are male.

36% female
64% male
<1% other

And about 58% of students are white.

White

58%

Black

18%

Unknown race

16%

Multiple races

3%

Hispanic

2%

Asian

2%

American Indian/Alaska Native

1%

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

1%

Nonresident

<1%