Columbia College
Columbia College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Columbia College Featured Rankings
- #5 Best Online Bachelor's in Cybersecurity in South Carolina
- #6 Best Online MBAs South Carolina
- #9 Online Master's in Biology
- #10 Best Online MBAs South Carolina
- #13 Online Master's in Hospitality and Tourism
- #13 Best Christian Colleges in South Carolina 2026
- #14 Online Bachelor’s in Counseling
- #16 South Carolina's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #18 Best Private Colleges in South Carolina 2026
- #20 South Carolina's Best Online Colleges 2026
- #24 Best Small Colleges in South Carolina 2026
- #30 Best Colleges in South Carolina
About Columbia College
According to Wikipedia, Columbia College is a private liberal arts college in Columbia, South Carolina. Founded in 1854 by the United Methodist Church as a women's liberal arts college, Columbia College became fully coeducational in 2020 welcoming its first coed residential class in Fall 2021. It also offers evening, graduate, and online programs for women and men.
Columbia College 's Online Degrees
MA in Organizational Leadership
- Required Credits: 30
- Completion Time: 1 year
- Format: Fully online
MBA in Business Administration
Degree Concentrations
- General Business
- Hospitality Management
- Insurance
- Health Administration
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 1 year
- Format: Fully online
BA in Business Administration
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
BS in Business Administration
Degree Concentrations
- Business Administration
- Business Analytics
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
BS in Computer And Information Sciences
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Criminal Justice
- Required Credits: 30
- Completion Time: 20 months
- Format: Fully online
BA in Criminal Justice
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
BA in Disaster And Emergency Management
Degree Concentrations
- Fire Science
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
BS in Forensic Psychology
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
MBio in Biology For Science Educator
- Required Credits: 30
- Completion Time: 20 months
- Format: Fully online
MEd in Trauma-Informed Education
- Required Credits: 30
- Completion Time: 1 year
- Format: Fully online
MEd in Educational Administration And Leadership K-12
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 1 year
- Format: Fully online
BA in Speech Language Pathology
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
BA in Community And Organizational Leadership
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
BS in Human Services
Degree Concentrations
- Counseling
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
BA in Interdisciplinary Studies
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
BS in Interdisciplinary Studies
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Athletic Coaching
- Required Credits: 30
- Completion Time: 2 years
- Format: Fully online
MA in Healthcare Administration
- Required Credits: 30
- Completion Time: 20 months
- Format: Fully online
BS in Health Science
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
BA in Healthcare Studies
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
BS in Healthcare Studies
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
BSN in Nursing Rn To Bsn
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
BA in Psychology
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4 years
- Format: Fully online
Columbia College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,163 | 94% | 60% | 41% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Columbia College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $24,436 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $21,039 |
| 30K - 48K | $21,010 |
| 48K - 75K | $19,525 |
| 75K - 110K | $22,674 |
| 110K+ | $25,596 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Columbia College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Columbia College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $46,266 a year, and 92% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Columbia College 's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 2,070 | 1,522 | 548 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Columbia College ?
Columbia College is located at 1301 Columbia College Dr, Columbia, SC 29203.
How Safe is Columbia College ?
Like every college that receives federal student aid, Columbia College publishes an annual security report with its campus crime statistics and safety policies. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.
Relative to its enrollment, Columbia College has a violent crime rate of 0.12% and a property crime rate of 0.12%. Columbia has a violent crime rate of 0.77% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 3.27%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Columbia College Known For?
Columbia College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Literature
- Nursing
- Sociology
- Biology
- Communications
- Social Work
- Education
- Chemistry
- Mathematics
- Criminal Justice
- Psychology
- Political Science
- Computer Science
- Medical
Columbia College 's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Columbia College 's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Columbia College ranks #908 in the U.S. and #2730 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesColumbia College ranks #1273 in the U.S. and #3251 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesColumbia College ranks #1888 in the U.S. and #5632 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesColumbia College ranks #2080 in the U.S. and #8353 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesColumbia College ranks #2155 in the U.S. and #8000 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesColumbia College ranks #2211 in the U.S. and #5943 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesColumbia College ranks #2214 in the U.S. and #8266 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesColumbia College ranks #2359 in the U.S. and #7995 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesColumbia College ranks #2581 in the U.S. and #8992 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesColumbia College ranks #2710 in the U.S. and #5627 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
criminal-justice DegreesColumbia College ranks #2828 in the U.S. and #7498 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesColumbia College ranks #3213 in the U.S. and #13100 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesColumbia College ranks #3232 in the U.S. and #11820 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesColumbia College ranks #3712 in the U.S. and #13267 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine Degrees