Columbia International University
Columbia, South Carolina · Private Nonprofit · 94.5% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 21/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Columbia International University, a small evangelical Christian university in Columbia, South Carolina, scores 21 out of 100 on CampusROI and sits in the Below Benchmark tier. The financial profile reflects the mission tension at faith-formation institutions: the published tuition is $27,900 but the average net price is $26,036, meaning aid discounting is minimal and four-year total cost runs about $104,144. Average earnings at six years are $27,900 and median earnings at ten years are $38,951, with an earnings premium of 3.8%. The modeled payback period of 61.8 years reflects how thin the wage premium is over a high-school baseline. Median debt is moderate at $20,000, producing a 0.717 debt-to-earnings ratio. The profile is consistent with a school whose graduates predominantly enter ministry, missions, and faith-based education roles where wage outcomes are intentionally modest, but where the cost-of-attendance has not been calibrated downward to match.
How Columbia International University 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 Score21/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Columbia International University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $27,900/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $27,900/yr |
| Average net price | $26,036/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $104,144 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $38,951 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $27,900 |
| Median debt at graduation | $20,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $212 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 46.8% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 716 |
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: $27,900/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $26,036/year, or roughly $104,144 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 $21,955/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $29,751/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $20,000, which works out to about $212 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($27,900) and comes to 0.72, 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 | $21,955 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $25,644 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $23,535 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $28,722 |
| $110,001+ | $29,751 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 face a net price of $21,955 per year. Four years totals about $87,800 against $38,951 in ten-year median earnings, which is an unworkable ratio for Pell-eligible students borrowing the gap. The South Carolina LIFE Scholarship for in-state students adds material support; that should be factored before assuming the listed net price applies.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income brackets show an inversion to flag: $25,644 ($30,001-$48,000) is higher than $23,535 in the $48,001-$75,000 bracket. The pattern is likely merit-aid layering for academically stronger middle-income applicants, but middle-income families should treat published figures as indicative. The $75,001-$110,000 bracket steps up sharply to $28,722.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $29,751 a year, or roughly $119,000 over four years. With ten-year median earnings of $38,951, full-pay families are essentially making a mission-aligned choice rather than a financial one. The spend can be justified by religious commitment but not by labor-market outcomes.
Earnings by Major
Top 3 most popular majors at Columbia International University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Bible/Biblical Studies | $38,117 | D |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $40,432 | - |
| Teacher Education | $43,210 | - |
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.
Bible/Biblical Studies
Bible/Biblical Studies is the largest documented program with 35 graduates, fitting the school's core mission. First-year earnings of $23,737 and four-year earnings of $38,117 against $21,500 in median debt produce a 0.906 debt-to-earnings ratio and a D ROI grade. The financial returns are weak by design: graduates predominantly enter ministry, missions, and church-based education roles where wages are structurally low. Students pursuing this path should minimize borrowing as much as possible.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration graduates 34 students with four-year earnings of $40,432; first-year earnings and debt figures are not reported. The four-year figure is low for business and suggests graduates are concentrated in nonprofit, church administration, and ministry-adjacent business roles rather than corporate pipelines.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education graduates 6 students with $43,210 in four-year earnings. First-year earnings and debt are not reported.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 67.2% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 73.8% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 67.5% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 77.8% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Columbia International University’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
| Acceptance rate | 94.5% |
| Enrollment | 716 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 34.2% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,410 |
Columbia International admits 94.5% of applicants, effectively open admission. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported in current Scorecard data. The 94.5% admit rate paired with a 46.8% completion rate suggests broad accessibility paired with a typical small-private completion gap. Prospective applicants have no academic benchmark to set expectations against, but should weigh the fit of the evangelical mission against the financial profile.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia International University (this school) | 21 | $26,036 | $38,951 |
| Charleston Southern University | 24 | $21,666 | $45,898 |
| Truett McConnell University | 23 | $22,227 | $46,700 |
| Davis & Elkins College | 21 | $18,273 | $43,411 |
| Kentucky Christian University | 19 | $24,038 | $42,375 |
| Trinity Bible College and Graduate School | 18 | $19,359 | $35,604 |
Who Thrives Here
With 716 students and a Pell Grant rate of 34.2%, Columbia International serves a small, residential, mission-oriented student body drawn predominantly to ministry, missions, biblical studies, and Christian education. The right fit is a student with a defined ministry calling whose home church and family will help underwrite the cost, who values the school's intensive biblical curriculum, and who is prepared for low post-graduate earnings consistent with mission work.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Columbia International University scores 21/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $26,036 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $38,951 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 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 46.8% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.72 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $20,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $27,900 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.72. 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 International University: Common Questions
Is Columbia International University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Columbia International University scores 21/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $26,036 a year after aid against $38,951 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Columbia International University 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 $26,036 a year, or roughly $104,144 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 International University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $38,951 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Columbia International University?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at more than 50 years for Columbia International University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Columbia International University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $20,000, against average earnings of $27,900 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.72. 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 International University?
The six-year graduation rate is 46.8%. 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.