Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublic

Columbus State University

Columbus, Georgia·Public, 4-year or above·Southeast·columbusstate.edu
6-yr Graduation
42%
-1.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
7,913
peer median 7,794
Avg net price
$11,889
-$972 vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
3,648
3,648 candidates competed
Admitted
3,616
99.1% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,150
31.8% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
42%-1.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
23%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
43%
Full-time retention
70%

Pell equity

5.0pp gap
Pell recipients
37%
Non-Pell
42%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 5.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 107 Title IV programs, 34 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 72 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
107
Passing
34
31.8% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.9% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.9%
+0.3pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

107programs
  • Passing34 · 31.8%
  • No Data72 · 67.3%
  • Failing1 · 0.9%

Severity spectrum

Critical
1
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
2
Safe
31
No data
72

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

35
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-43.4%
$18,218 vs $32,203
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+8.5%
$34,931 vs $32,203
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+10.4%
$35,560 vs $32,203
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
+17.6%
$54,549 vs $46,391
Social Sciences Other
Master's Degree · Social Sciences
+25.9%
$67,595 vs $53,672
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+28.1%
$41,266 vs $32,203
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+31.4%
$42,316 vs $32,203
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
+35.4%
$62,834 vs $46,391

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

30
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
137%
$25,000 debt · $18,218 earn
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
92%
$50,414 debt · $54,549 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
86%
$30,491 debt · $35,560 earn
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
70%
$24,544 debt · $34,931 earn
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
70%
$31,125 debt · $44,506 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
69%
$29,125 debt · $42,316 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
64%
$29,768 debt · $46,723 earn
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
64%
$29,250 debt · $45,997 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1963Next review Dec 2026

Programmatic accreditations · 9

Action history · 20

  1. Oct 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Sep 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  3. Jun 2025Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Jun 2024Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Jun 2024Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$10,370
$30–48k$10,797
$48–75k$13,287
$75–110k$15,598
$110k+$15,428

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$11,889
-$971vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $12,861
Federal loans
41.7%
In-state tuition
$5,751
Out-of-state
$16,805

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 3,361 students received $20.0M in Pell grants, alongside $32.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
3,361
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$20.0M
$20,022,024 total
Direct Loans
$32.2M
5,333 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

3k
20
3k
21
3k
22
3k
23
3k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$7.8M
2,074 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$8.2M
2,064 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$12.8M
905 loan awards
Parent PLUS$2.6M
221 loan awards
Grad PLUS$788K
69 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 2,260 borrowers who entered repayment, 84 (3.7%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.7%
+1.4pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
2,260
Defaulted
84
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
10.2%
2017
8.4%
2018
6.0%
2019
3.7%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Columbus State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs86
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,340 total completions
01Education
27320.4%
02Health Professions
27320.4%
03Business
20315.1%
04Security/Protective
1299.6%
05Computer Sciences
1229.1%
06Visual/Performing Arts
957.1%
07Communication
725.4%
08Social Sciences
654.9%
09Biological Sciences
554.1%
10Multi/Interdisciplinary
534.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
7,913
12-mo unduplicated
9,160
Undergraduate
7,115
Graduate
2,045

Gender split

Men
40%3,689
Women
60%5,471

Race / ethnicity composition

White
41.3%
Black
38.0%
Hispanic
9.4%
Two or more
4.5%
Asian
2.6%
Unknown
2.6%
Non-resident
1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
298
160 M · 138 W
Women athletes
46.3%
Athletic aid
$1.5M
Total student aid
Budget
$4.0M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$718K
$765K
Recruiting expense
$15K
$21K
Head-coach salaries
$57K
$61K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 8

Track and Field (Outdoor)
75 M · 31 W
$153K
Basketball
23 M · 16 W
$802K
Baseball
34 M ·
$665K
Cross Country
19 M · 11 W
$103K
Soccer
· 30 W
$358K
Softball
· 26 W
$349K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
3.61
27 offenses · 7,479 students

3-year trend

5.972 yrs ago1.771 yr ago3.61Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
91
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
49
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
4
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Aggravated assault
7
Motor vehicle theft
7
Fondling
5
Rape
3
Burglary
3
Arson
1
Murder
1

By location

27total
  • On campus27

Includes 7 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
6
Dating violence
2
Stalking
8 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons81
Drugs752
Liquor135

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Data quality: 2 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
16.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
298

Columbus State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Columbus State selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectColumbus State University
42%7,913$11,889Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Georgia College & State University
64%78.2%7,097$18,809Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of North Georgia
50%67.9%19,291$10,785Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
North Carolina Central University
42%87.0%8,579$15,028Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of West Alabama
28%42.7%6,820$13,832Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
44%93.3%7,674$9,918Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median43%78.2%7,794$12,861

Frequently asked questions about Columbus State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Columbus State.

What is the graduation rate at Columbus State University?

Columbus State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 42% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Columbus State University?

Columbus State University reports a total enrollment of 7,913 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Columbus State University?

The average net price at Columbus State University is $11,889 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Columbus State University?

Columbus State University's yield rate is 31.8%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Columbus State University located?

Columbus State University is located in Columbus, Georgia 31907-5645.

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