Columbia College
Columbia, Missouri · Private Nonprofit
ROI Score: 25/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Columbia College (Missouri) earns a Below Benchmark ROI score of 25. Tuition is $25,826 with net price of $22,715 and four-year cost of $90,860. Average earnings six years out are $36,300, growing to a median $45,378 by year ten. Payback period of 22.2 years and debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.658 against $23,879 median debt produce difficult economics. The 57.4% three-year repayment rate (scoring 15) and the 42.2% completion rate (scoring 25) are both low sub-scores. More than four in ten borrowers are not actively paying down loans, and majority of students don't graduate on time. Program-level data shows the school's structural problem: liberal arts (the largest program with 223 graduates) earns a C grade; human services (69 graduates) earns an F with debt exceeding annual earnings. As of 2024-2025 Scorecard data, Columbia is a representative example of the small-private-with-online-program ROI challenge.
How Columbia College scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score25/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period22.2 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Columbia College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $25,826/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $25,826/yr |
| Average net price | $22,715/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $90,860 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $45,378 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $36,300 |
| Median debt at graduation | $23,879 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $253 |
| Estimated payback period | 22.2 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 42.2% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 4,950 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $25,826/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $22,715/year, or roughly $90,860 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $23,967/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $21,545/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $23,879, which works out to about $253 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($36,300) and comes to 0.66, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $23,967 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $21,168 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $21,550 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $23,015 |
| $110,001+ | $21,545 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $23,967 - higher than middle-income families pay at this school, an inverted pattern worth flagging. Four-year cost approaches $96,000.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($30,001-$48,000) pay $21,168 - actually the lowest bracket on the table. Four-year cost around $85,000. The inversion across the bottom tiers is real and worth flagging. Even at this price the math is tight given the modest earnings profile.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Higher-income families ($110,001+) pay $21,545 - close to the middle brackets. The pricing structure is essentially flat across income tiers, with the lowest-income families paying the most. Four-year cost around $86,000.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Columbia College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences | $57,034 | C |
| Business Administration and Management | $61,958 | C |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $56,128 | C |
| Psychology | $49,166 | D |
| Human Services, General | $46,785 | F |
| Accounting | $60,561 | C+ |
| Human Resources Management | $62,392 | D |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $64,997 | C |
| Registered Nursing | $78,632 | C+ |
| Finance and Financial Management | $64,555 | B+ |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Liberal Arts is Columbia's largest program with 223 graduates - and earns a C ROI grade. First-year earnings of $45,133 climb to $57,034 by year four. Median debt of $30,658 produces a 0.679 ratio. The program likely caters heavily to adult-completion students; the broad curriculum makes specific career placement diffuse, which dampens earnings outcomes.
Business Administration and Management
Business Administration graduates 203 students with first-year earnings of $48,329 climbing to $61,958 by year four. Median debt of $28,100 produces a 0.581 ratio and C ROI grade. The substantial enrollment likely reflects online and adult-learner program demand.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal Justice graduates 89 students annually with first-year earnings of $46,195 climbing to $56,128 by year four. Median debt of $25,750 produces a 0.557 ratio and C ROI grade. Decent CJ economics. The program likely benefits from working-professional enrollment (existing law enforcement personnel completing degrees), which can compress reported median earnings relative to actual lifetime trajectories.
Psychology
Psychology graduates 71 students with first-year earnings of $35,685 against $29,300 debt - a 0.821 ratio and D ROI grade. Earnings climb to $49,166 by year four. Standard bachelor's-only psychology challenge: meaningful career earnings typically require graduate school. The Columbia tuition makes the math worse than at a state-school psychology program.
Human Services, General
Human Services has 69 graduates with first-year earnings of $37,571 against $39,973 median debt - a 1.064 ratio and F ROI grade. The high debt is striking; this program appears to be a high-cost path for students entering low-paying social services and case management roles.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 51.0% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 57.4% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 45.1% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 55.7% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Columbia College’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Enrollment | 4,950 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 44.6% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $8,205 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data. SAT and ACT data are also unreported. Without admission data, prospective students should expect open-admission norms and weigh academic preparation independently.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia College (this school) | 25 | $22,715 | $45,378 |
| Salem College | 26 | $18,277 | $44,640 |
| Mary Baldwin University | 25 | $12,756 | $44,427 |
| Wesleyan College | 24 | $12,724 | $44,317 |
| Midway University | 24 | $29,579 | $44,246 |
| Hollins University | 21 | $20,896 | $40,075 |
Who Thrives Here
Columbia College fits adult learners and working professionals seeking flexible online and evening programs to complete a bachelor's degree - the institution's true core market. Enrollment of 4,950 is moderate, but a substantial fraction is non-traditional. Pell rate of 44.7% is high. The data favors students choosing finance (B+), nursing (C+), or accounting (C+) majors; the dominant liberal arts and human services programs produce weak outcomes. Adult learners with employer reimbursement or military benefits face the strongest financial case here.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Columbia College scores 25/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $22,715 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $45,378 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 22.2 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 42.2% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 57.4% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $23,879 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $36,300 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Columbia College: Common Questions
Is Columbia College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Columbia College scores 25/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $22,715 a year after aid against $45,378 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 22.2 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Columbia College cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $22,715 a year, or roughly $90,860 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Columbia College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $45,378 ten years after enrolling, roughly $3,578 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Columbia College?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 22.2 years for Columbia College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Columbia College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $23,879, against average earnings of $36,300 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Columbia College?
The six-year graduation rate is 42.2%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.