Columbia Southern University is based in the town of Orange Beach, AL — a for-profit campus in a small-town setting. The federal record classifies this institution as distance-education-only. Check its official site for teaching locations, visits and any in-person requirements.
What could it cost?
Start with net price after grants, then read the published costs. Each chart names its academic year and the students it covers.
Net price by family income
Average annual cost after grants for each family-income band. These group averages are not personal price quotes.
under $30k
These figures don't always rise with income — aid formulas can make a higher bracket cheaper.
Average annual attendance cost after grants for the reported student group. Your own aid offer and costs may differ.
Average net price at Columbia Southern University rose from $8,268 (2010) to $14,580 (2023).
| Year | Net price |
|---|---|
| 2010 | $8,268 |
| 2011 | $10,098 |
| 2012 | $10,084 |
| 2013 | $8,988 |
| 2014 | $10,502 |
| 2015 | $10,719 |
| 2016 | $10,853 |
| 2017 | $9,910 |
| 2018 | $10,368 |
| 2019 | $11,241 |
| 2020 | $12,474 |
| 2021 | $12,366 |
| 2022 | $14,975 |
| 2023 | $14,580 |
Estimated annual attendance budget before grants, including tuition, fees, housing, food and books. Not every expense is billed by the school.
Total cost at Columbia Southern University rose from $11,692 (2011) to $18,226 (2024).
| Year | Cost |
|---|---|
| 2011 | $11,692 |
| 2012 | $13,333 |
| 2013 | $13,265 |
| 2014 | $12,601 |
| 2015 | $14,191 |
| 2016 | $14,259 |
| 2017 | $14,316 |
| 2018 | $13,937 |
| 2019 | $14,560 |
| 2020 | $15,491 |
| 2021 | $15,597 |
| 2022 | $16,520 |
| 2023 | $18,002 |
| 2024 | $18,226 |
Tuition & fees
Skip to data tablePublished tuition and fees before grants. Housing, food, books and other attendance costs are separate.
| Year | Tuition & fees |
|---|---|
| 2013 | $4,895 |
| 2014 | $5,135 |
| 2015 | $5,175 |
| 2016 | $5,175 |
| 2017 | $5,415 |
| 2018 | $5,535 |
| 2019 | $5,655 |
| 2020 | $5,775 |
| 2021 | $5,775 |
| 2022 | $6,015 |
| 2023 | $5,808 |
Cost, size & completion summary
Cost, size & completion
Reported tuition is $6,760 before grants and other attendance costs. At Columbia Southern University, aid and other costs change the bill. Scorecard snapshot: 2026-06-10; historical charts show their own years.
At 12,176 undergrads, Columbia Southern University is a mid-sized campus by U.S. standards.
33.3% of first-time, full-time bachelor's entrants completed at Columbia Southern University within six years (2026-06-10 release). This measure excludes other student groups.
Do students finish — and what comes after?
Graduation, debt and earnings cover different groups. Read each chart's entering class or fiscal period; they are not one group's journey.
The share of first-time, full-time bachelor's entrants who completed at this institution within six years. Other students are not included.
The six-year graduation rate at Columbia Southern University fell from 44.4% (entered 2002) to 33.3% (entered 2018).
A six-year rate can only describe a class that entered six or more years ago — by definition the last point on the line is that old.
| Year | Graduated within 6 yrs |
|---|---|
| 2002 cohort | 44.4% |
| 2003 cohort | 10.8% |
| 2004 cohort | 39.6% |
| 2005 cohort | 50.8% |
| 2006 cohort | 47.2% |
| 2007 cohort | 39.8% |
| 2008 cohort | 43.8% |
| 2009 cohort | 31.1% |
| 2010 cohort | 30.8% |
| 2011 cohort | 31% |
| 2012 cohort | 24.1% |
| 2013 cohort | 21.6% |
| 2014 cohort | 29.5% |
| 2015 cohort | 33.4% |
| 2016 cohort | 32.6% |
| 2017 cohort | 37.2% |
| 2018 cohort | 33.3% |
Median debt at exit (completers vs non-completers)
Historical student groupsMedian federal student loan debt when students left school, shown separately for those who completed and those who did not.
Each point combines two years. Neighboring points share one year, so changes should be read with that overlap in mind.
These two-year windows closed before today's students borrowed — they describe past cohorts, not the current price of a degree.
| Year | Completed | Left without degree |
|---|---|---|
| Left school in fiscal years 2008 and 2009 (FY2008/09) | $8,050 | $4,750 |
| Left school in fiscal years 2009 and 2010 (FY2009/10) | $9,362 | $5,500 |
| Left school in fiscal years 2010 and 2011 (FY2010/11) | $11,532 | $5,839 |
| Left school in fiscal years 2011 and 2012 (FY2011/12) | $11,838 | $5,500 |
| Left school in fiscal years 2012 and 2013 (FY2012/13) | $11,314 | $5,329 |
| Left school in fiscal years 2013 and 2014 (FY2013/14) | $12,500 | $4,500 |
| Left school in fiscal years 2014 and 2015 (FY2014/15) | $14,632 | $4,500 |
| Left school in fiscal years 2015 and 2016 (FY2015/16) | $15,661 | $4,750 |
| Left school in fiscal years 2016 and 2017 (FY2016/17) | $15,666 | $6,966 |
| Left school in fiscal years 2017 and 2018 (FY2017/18) | $18,750 | $8,534 |
| Left school in fiscal years 2018 and 2019 (FY2018/19) | $19,933 | $9,075 |
| Left school in fiscal years 2019 and 2020 (FY2019/20) | $20,663 | $8,963 |
| Left school in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (FY2020/21) | $21,339 | $9,375 |
Earnings after entry
Historical student groupsMedian annual earnings after entering college, for federally aided students who were working and not enrolled when measured.
Each figure covers a different group of students who entered college in the stated years. Earnings were measured in the same two years; these are not one group followed over time.
Measured in 2020–21, adjusted for inflation to 2022 dollars. Each figure pools two entering academic years.
What does the admissions record show?
Rates and score ranges describe a past admissions cycle. Submitted scores are not cutoffs or a prediction of admission.
Admissions snapshot & test policies
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Admissions
Columbia Southern University’s Fall 2024 filing reports open admission. No selective rate is shown; check Columbia Southern University’s current entry requirements.
No charts are available for this topic in this school's published record.
What is the campus like?
Enrollment counts a campus population; retention follows first-years returning. Their dates and populations are shown separately.
Reported undergraduate enrollment. This count does not measure class size or teaching access.
Undergraduate enrollment at Columbia Southern University rose from 6,863 (Fall 2008) to 12,176 (Fall 2024).
| Year | Undergraduates |
|---|---|
| Fall 2008 | 6,863 |
| Fall 2009 | 10,301 |
| Fall 2010 | 13,298 |
| Fall 2011 | 14,302 |
| Fall 2012 | 14,602 |
| Fall 2013 | 14,685 |
| Fall 2014 | 15,286 |
| Fall 2015 | 14,982 |
| Fall 2016 | 15,411 |
| Fall 2017 | 14,945 |
| Fall 2018 | 15,159 |
| Fall 2019 | 14,153 |
| Fall 2020 | 13,077 |
| Fall 2021 | 11,525 |
| Fall 2022 | 11,208 |
| Fall 2023 | 13,053 |
| Fall 2024 | 12,176 |
The share of the reported first-time student group who returned the following year. This rate does not explain why others left.
First-year retention at Columbia Southern University rose from 63% (Fall 2007) to 71% (Fall 2023).
| Year | Retention |
|---|---|
| Fall 2007 cohort | 63% |
| Fall 2008 cohort | 61% |
| Fall 2009 cohort | 84% |
| Fall 2010 cohort | 65% |
| Fall 2011 cohort | 65% |
| Fall 2012 cohort | 56% |
| Fall 2013 cohort | 43% |
| Fall 2014 cohort | 40% |
| Fall 2015 cohort | 43% |
| Fall 2016 cohort | 50% |
| Fall 2017 cohort | 56% |
| Fall 2018 cohort | 62% |
| Fall 2019 cohort | 62% |
| Fall 2020 cohort | 40% |
| Fall 2021 cohort | 42% |
| Fall 2022 cohort | 59% |
| Fall 2023 cohort | 71% |
More about Columbia Southern University
24.2% of Columbia Southern University's undergraduates carry Pell grants — the standard federal marker of lower-income enrollment. Carnegie classes Columbia Southern University as a primarily nonresidential campus — most of its 12,176 undergraduates live off campus, and 71% of the reported first-time, full-time student group returned for a second year.
The Fall 2024 record classifies Columbia Southern University as open admission. Review current entry requirements and the cost and outcome measures separately.
Why some charts are marked “key chart”
Start with three useful questions: what costs were reported for families in your income band, how many first-time full-time students finished, and what federal debt borrowers held when leaving.
How Columbia Southern University compares
State and national medians cover active bachelor-primary institutions, mixing public and private schools. Tuition uses in-state rates at public schools. These are broad reference points, not a ranking of similar schools or your likely bill.
Scorecard dates identify the release snapshot, not a shared measurement year. Earnings describe federally aided students who were working and not enrolled ten years after entry; cohorts and populations differ from the admissions and tuition figures.
Tuition
Scorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot · published tuition before aid
Median earnings (10 yr)
Ten years after entry · Scorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot
Columbia Southern University's snapshot: calendar years and dollar basis unverified.
View comparison data & dates
| Metric & basis | Columbia Southern University | Alabama median | National median |
|---|---|---|---|
| TuitionScorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot · published tuition before aid | $6,760 | $12,535 | $19,591 |
| Median earnings (10 yr)Ten years after entry · Scorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot | $63,534 | $44,312 | $53,781 |
Published earnings by bachelor's field of study
For Columbia Southern University, these are federal subject groups (CIP), not departments. Median is the middle annual income.
Columbia Southern University federal-aid recipients · graduated 2017–18 or 2018–19 · income measured 2022 or 2023 · inflation-adjusted to 2024 dollars. Definitions and limits.
View 12 fields & earnings
| Bachelor's field of study (CIP category) | Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion |
|---|---|
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | $95,774 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians | $94,480 |
| Fire Protection | $88,735 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | $81,292 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | $77,738 |
| Homeland Security | $73,703 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $70,354 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $69,343 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | $63,248 |
| Human Resources Management and Services | $62,061 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | $61,821 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | $49,618 |
These 12 fields listed for Columbia Southern University measure earnings after completion. The $63,534 institution-level snapshot above measures earnings after entry; it is not the same cohort or a total for these fields.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Columbia Southern University cost?
At Columbia Southern University, tuition is $6,760. Tuition is not the total cost of attendance; aid can reduce your bill.
What earnings data does Columbia Southern University report?
Median earnings ten years after entry: $63,534. Major figures measure four years after completion. Source and date limits.
Similar colleges in Alabama
Run your own numbers
Data: IPEDS ADM2024 (Fall 2024 admissions, provisional) · IPEDS HD2024/IC2024 directory · College Scorecard 2026-06-10 release (institution and field-of-study files; earnings from Treasury records). Retrieved 2026-09-01. Chart dates follow this institution's available observations; the release date is not an academic year or an earnings year. Some records end earlier than others. Field-of-study cohort dates are shown with the table. Read the date and population definitions.