Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & DesignPrivate nonprofit

Helms College

Augusta, Georgia·Private not-for-profit, 2-year·Southeast·helms.edu
6-yr Graduation
36%
Total enrollment
183
peer median 229
Avg net price
$21,117
-$446 vs Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
Use this data
Ask Clema

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
36%
Full-time retention
87%

Pell equity

25.0pp gap
Pell recipients
25%
Non-Pell
50%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 25.0-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 6 Title IV programs, 1 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 5 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
6
Passing
1
16.7% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

6programs
  • Passing1 · 16.7%
  • No Data5 · 83.3%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
0
No data
5

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.

1
Culinary Arts and Related Services
Associate Degree · Personal And Culinary Services
+18.5%
$38,154 vs $32,203

Debt vs earnings

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

3
Culinary Arts and Related Services
Associate Degree · Personal And Culinary Services
52%
$20,000 debt · $38,154 earn
Culinary Arts and Related Services
Undergraduate Certificate · Personal And Culinary Services
41%
$13,176 debt · $32,439 earn
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
Undergraduate Certificate · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
31%
$9,405 debt · $30,326 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training

Accredited since 2011Next review Aug 2030

Action history · 8

  1. Dec 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training
  2. Jan 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training
  3. Jan 2021Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training
  4. Aug 2019Accreditation Reaffirmed: Probation Removed
    Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training
  5. Dec 2018Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Probation
    Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training

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$19,429
$30–48k$22,608
$48–75k$23,262
$75–110k$26,400
$110k+$26,400

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

Avg net price (private)
$21,117
-$446vs Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design median $21,563
Federal loans
48.2%
In-state tuition
$17,924
Out-of-state
$17,924

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 237 students received $1.1M in Pell grants, alongside $1.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
237
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$1.1M
$1,106,212 total
Direct Loans
$1.3M
394 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$493K
191 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$737K
191 loan awards
Parent PLUS$77K
12 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 185 borrowers who entered repayment, 4 (2.1%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
2.1%
-0.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
185
Defaulted
4
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
27.1%
2017
21.1%
2018
13.4%
2019
2.1%
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 Helms College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs6
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

29 total completions
01Personal/Culinary
29100.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
183
12-mo unduplicated
244
Undergraduate
244
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
45%109
Women
55%135

Race / ethnicity composition

Black
69.3%
White
26.0%
Hispanic
2.0%
Two or more
2.0%
Asian
0.7%

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 170 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
0
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

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

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    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)
    11

    Helms College vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Helms College 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
    SubjectHelms College
    36%183$21,117Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    Gupton Jones College of Funeral Service
    338$21,563Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    John A Gupton College
    100.0%166$19,772Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York
    92.0%187$54,625Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service
    270$21,682Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science Inc
    49.0%374Special Focus Two-Year: Arts & Design
    Peer group median36%92.0%229$21,563

    Frequently asked questions about Helms College

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Helms College.

    What is the graduation rate at Helms College?

    Helms College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 36% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Helms College?

    Helms College reports a total enrollment of 183 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Helms College?

    The average net price at Helms College is $21,117 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Helms College located?

    Helms College is located in Augusta, Georgia 30907.

    Have a question this page can’t answer?

    Ask Clema anything about Helms College and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.

    Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card