Columbia Southern University
Orange Beach, AL · For-profit · Town (fringe) · CSU
For-profit institution in Orange Beach, AL · 13,053 undergraduates · $63,534 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 4%Out-of-state tuition & fees
- Top 9%Undergraduates
- Top 10%In-state tuition & fees
- Top 13%Cost of attendance
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $14,975675th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $5,808200th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $5,80873rd cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $18,002261st cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $21,339799th lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $63,534416th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $55,140340th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 37.2%1,577th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 58.8%1,624th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- —
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- —
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 13,053194th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 28.0:12,092nd smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 21.2%1,638th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 297 mi (ATL)
On 3 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 15 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/TechniciansEngineering Technology | bachelors | $70,370 | $67,304 |
| Fire ProtectionHomeland Security & Law Enforcement | bachelors | $69,547 | $69,691 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchNatural Resources | bachelors | $68,219 | $62,260 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralComputer Science | bachelors | $57,318 | $58,092 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsHomeland Security & Law Enforcement | bachelors | $53,647 | $48,667 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $51,162 | $49,149 |
| Human Resources Management and ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $47,260 | $48,935 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesHealth Professions | bachelors | $45,997 | $45,175 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | $34,704 | $31,839 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | — | — |
| Behavioral SciencesMultidisciplinary Studies | bachelors | — | — |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementComputer Science | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Columbia Southern University’s 13,053 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In AL
- University of Alabama at BirminghamBirmingham, AL · 12,118 undergrads
- Troy UniversityTroy, AL · 10,089 undergrads
- University of South AlabamaMobile, AL · 8,540 undergrads
- Jacksonville State UniversityJacksonville, AL · 7,030 undergrads
- University of Alabama in HuntsvilleHuntsville, AL · 6,650 undergrads
- Alabama A & M UniversityNormal, AL · 5,726 undergrads
Elsewhere
- California State University-ChicoChico, CA · 13,057 undergrads
- CUNY Queens CollegeQueens, NY · 13,060 undergrads
- CUNY New York City College of TechnologyBrooklyn, NY · 12,950 undergrads
- Rochester Institute of TechnologyRochester, NY · 13,225 undergrads
- University of Houston-DowntownHouston, TX · 12,812 undergrads
- Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, MI · 12,704 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitecolumbiasouthern.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 450933)
- Compare colleges in ALRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in AlabamaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with University of Alabama at BirminghamSide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Columbia Southern University vs University of Alabama at BirminghamHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.