Columbus State University
Columbus, GA · Public · Midsize city · CSU · Columbus State
Public institution in Columbus, GA · 5,537 undergraduates · 99% acceptance rate · $44,544 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 10%In-state tuition & fees
- Top 19%Cost of attendance
- Top 21%Undergraduates
- Top 23%Average net price
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
- $11,889447th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $5,751194th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $16,805648th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $19,953368th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $26,0001,436th lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $44,5441,375th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $39,1901,276th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 41.7%1,451st highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 72.7%1,104th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 99.2%1,527th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- 994944th highest of 1,022 reporting
- Median ACT
- 21701st highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 5,537454th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 18.0:11,696th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 44.4%536th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 84 mi (ATL)
On 1 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 33 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $61,764 | $56,169 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralComputer Science | bachelors | $53,358 | $54,852 |
| Management Information Systems and ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $44,971 | — |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $44,542 | $38,289 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $40,945 | $38,289 |
| MathematicsMathematics & Statistics | bachelors | $40,467 | $42,682 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralBusiness | bachelors | $38,721 | $39,585 |
| Special Education and TeachingEducation | bachelors | $37,568 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasEducation | bachelors | $36,398 | $37,208 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsEducation | bachelors | $36,334 | $34,081 |
| History | bachelors | $33,726 | $32,213 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $33,637 | $39,153 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1958source
- Athletic nickname: "Cougars"source
- Competes in NCAA Division IIsource
- School colors: #003359 and #C60C30source
- Mascot: Cody Cougarsource
- Motto: "Primus inter pares"source
- Campus size: about 132 acressource
- Formerly known as "Columbus College"source
- Formerly known as "(1958–1996)"source
- Athletic conference: Peach Belt Conferencesource
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A Space-grant]] institutionsource
- Fight song: ""[[Columbus State University#Fight Song"source
- Notable alum: Ma Dong-seoksource
- Notable alum: Joni Ernstsource
Athletics — 9 sports
NCAA Division II without football · NCAA Division II
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $1,592,529 (M $760,701 · W $806,828 · Coed $25,000)
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Columbus State University’s 5,537 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In GA
- Georgia College & State UniversityMilledgeville, GA · 5,599 undergrads
- Augusta UniversityAugusta, GA · 5,282 undergrads
- Albany State UniversityAlbany, GA · 5,829 undergrads
- Mercer UniversityMacon, GA · 4,620 undergrads
- Georgia Highlands CollegeRome, GA · 4,441 undergrads
- Dalton State CollegeDalton, GA · 4,419 undergrads
Elsewhere
- Shasta CollegeRedding, CA · 5,536 undergrads
- Mercy UniversityDobbs Ferry, NY · 5,539 undergrads
- Angelo State UniversitySan Angelo, TX · 5,515 undergrads
- Norfolk State UniversityNorfolk, VA · 5,495 undergrads
- Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ · 5,579 undergrads
- Fayetteville State UniversityFayetteville, NC · 5,493 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitecolumbusstate.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 139366)
- Compare colleges in GARe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in GeorgiaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Georgia College & State UniversitySide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Columbus State University vs Georgia College & State UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 9 EADA programs at this school
- 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.