1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. Columbia College (MO) Research brief & institution hub Copy linkPrint brief # Columbia College (MO) MO · Medium private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #592 nationally Data snapshot September 27, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026 Overview[Cost & aid](/school/columbia-college/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/columbia-college/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/columbia-college/admissions/)[Majors](/school/columbia-college/majors/) ## Overall, Azimuth places Columbia College in the 60th percentile nationally. ### Who it’s a good fit for Columbia College is a private nonprofit university in Columbia, Missouri, where Business is the largest program family. Access is well above average, while mobility is below the levels seen at many peers. Graduates out-earn what the model predicts for students like them. The model attributes the factors it measures—field of study, enrollment, and the local labor market—to adding to expected earnings, while the remainder it does not explain subtracts from them. Return is above average. The lowest income band pays below the published cost, and the highest income band also pays below it. Pell students complete at a rate below the overall cohort, and mobility is below the levels seen at many peers. Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study, and the four-year earnings figure counts only graduates who are not enrolled. The highest-earning field awards a handful of degrees a year. ## Columbia College (MO) at a glance ### Admissions and outcomes **Admission rate[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)** Not reported **Six-year completion[\[2\]](#hub-data-note-completion)** 42.2% **Four-year earnings[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)** $57,679 ### Cost and family borrowing **Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)** $21,550 **Median student debt[\[4\]](#hub-data-note-student-debt)** $23,879 **Median Parent PLUS debt[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps)** $10,000 ## Columbia College (MO) rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[\[5\]](#hub-data-note-rankings) Columbia College is a private nonprofit university in Columbia, Missouri, enrolling 4,950 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the middle of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (60th percentile). Both figures run below the typical level for comparable institutions of the same type and size, where the peer medians are 83.4% and 68.8%. The four pillars sit far apart at Columbia College. Access is the clear strength, while return and affordability sit near the middle of the field. Mobility is the outlier. Access is the clearest part of Columbia College’s profile, though mobility points in the opposite direction for prospective students. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, access sits in the 89th percentile, the strongest pillar. Return is in the 58th percentile, and affordability is in the 48th percentile. Mobility is the weakest pillar at the 9th percentile. The contrast between strong access and weak mobility is the central tension in this profile. Azimuth ranks Columbia College #156 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks the university #1,328 for mobility. Graduates earn about $5,626 more than the model expects for similar students. [How value-added outcomes are assessed](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) · [How to interpret program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Columbia College (MO) rankings in context | Geography | Rank | | --- | --- | | National | #592 | Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group. ### National pillar percentiles **Economic mobility** National percentile: 9 **Access & reach** National percentile: 89 **[Affordability](/school/columbia-college/cost/)** National percentile: 48 **[Return on investment](/school/columbia-college/outcomes/)** National percentile: 58 01 / Columbia College (MO) briefing ## [Columbia College (MO) cost & financial aid](/school/columbia-college/cost/)[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps) Columbia College publishes a cost of attendance of $37,207, with tuition and fees at $25,826 and room and board at $9,552. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what students pay after grants and scholarships—is $22,715, which is $4,656 below the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $14,492 against the sticker price. Azimuth ranks the university #737 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. At Columbia College, aid recipients face prices after aid that remain below the published cost of attendance, $37,207. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $23,967 for the lowest family-income band, $21,168 for the lower-middle band, $21,550 for the middle band, $23,015 for the upper-middle band, and $21,545 for the highest family-income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $2,422. Azimuth ranks the university #737 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average offset of $14,492. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $22,715, which is $4,656 below the peer median of $27,371 at comparable institutions (same type and size). Published tuition and fees are $25,826, and room and board are $9,552. The aid offset and lower peer comparison point toward a lower average price than comparable institutions. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $23,879, and 70.9% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $24,199, placing Columbia College $320 below that benchmark. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $271 a month if repaid over ten years. Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $10,000. Your family income Choose a household income range to see estimated net price. $0–30K$30–48K$48–75K$75–110K$110K+ Reported average annual net price · $48–75K**$21,550** After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ. Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary. ### Borrowing and repayment at Columbia College (MO) Federal borrowing reaches 70.9% of federal aid recipients, so debt is part of the cost picture for many at Columbia College. Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $23,879. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $24,199, leaving Columbia College $320 below it. For the separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $10,000. Four years after completing a degree, Columbia College graduates earn a median of $57,679, at the 42nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure is $10,571 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The earnings picture strengthens when measured against the model's expectation. Graduates earn about $5,626 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 73rd percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $48,079 in a downside case to $68,779 in an upside case, with $57,679 as the typical scenario. Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $23,879 in federal student loans, $320 below the median for comparable institutions. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $271 a month. Parent borrowing is a separate part of the cost picture: [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowers have median borrowing of $10,000. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $271 a month if repaid over ten years. [How Financial GPS measures payment burden](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) · [The four risk-and-reward zones](/analysis/4-zones-of-college-risk-and-reward/) Financial GPS ### What does repayment look like? **Institution median student debt** $23,879 **Institution Parent PLUS debt** $10,000 Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included. **Estimated student payment · monthly** $271/mo **Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly** $127/mo Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s. Payment assumptions Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. [Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=columbia-college#student-tool) [Read the full cost & aid brief](/school/columbia-college/cost/) 02 / Columbia College (MO) briefing ## [Columbia College (MO) career outcomes & earnings](/school/columbia-college/outcomes/)[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)[\[8\]](#hub-data-note-scenarios)[\[9\]](#hub-data-note-value-added) Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $57,679. That is at the 42nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, and $10,571 below the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $5,626 more than the model expects for similar students. That puts the gap at the 73rd percentile. Azimuth places the university at the 58th percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $8,569. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $2,943. At Columbia College, graduates earn about $5,626 more than the model expects for similar students, a favorable modeled result alongside a lower national earnings placement. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $57,679 four years after completion. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that median falls in the 42nd percentile. The measure draws on an earnings cohort of 2,501 completers. Program-mix earnings scenarios put typical earnings at $57,679, with a downside scenario of $48,079 and an upside scenario of $68,779. An estimated 27.0% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The expected-earnings result and the national earnings placement point in different directions. Graduates earn about $5,626 more than the model expects for similar students. At Columbia College, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $57,679 four years after completion, placing them in the 42nd percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $68,250, and the college sits $10,571 below that benchmark. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 73rd percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $8,569. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $2,943. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $365. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from $48,079 on the downside to $68,779 on the upside. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 58th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Above-expected earnings and a below-peer median point in different directions. Business/Commerce is the largest program, with 264 degrees awarded and median earnings of $61,958 four years after completion. Computer and Information Sciences had 8 degrees awarded and median earnings of $81,090 at the same point. Nursing recorded 44 degrees awarded and $78,632 in median earnings, while Management Information Systems and Services had 55 degrees awarded and median earnings of $74,816. The reported figures vary across these programs. Program choice is associated with a broad modeled earnings range at Columbia College. Across scenarios based on the program mix, the downside is $48,079 and the upside is $68,779; these are earnings scenarios, not observed groups of graduates. Published program medians four years after completion are $81,090 in Computer and Information Sciences, $78,632 in Nursing, and $74,816 in Management Information Systems and Services. The program figures show why a single institution-wide median leaves out substantial variation by field. At Columbia College, the cost and debt picture sits below the median for comparable institutions, while graduates earn about $5,626 more than the model expects for similar students. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $22,715, which is $4,656 below the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The published cost of attendance is $37,207, and aid covers about 39% of that for the average aid recipient. The spread between the lowest and highest income bands is $2,422, so net prices are fairly flat across the income scale. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $23,879 in federal student loans, $320 below the median for comparable institutions. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $271 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $10,000. What explains value-added earnings? **Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.** +$8,569 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$2,943 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** +$5,626 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. [Read the full outcomes brief](/school/columbia-college/outcomes/) 03 / Columbia College (MO) briefing ## [Columbia College (MO) acceptance rate & admissions](/school/columbia-college/admissions/)[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)[\[10\]](#hub-data-note-sat)[\[11\]](#hub-data-note-retention) Columbia College serves an undergraduate body shaped by both federal grant use and transfer entry. The mix suggests that the university’s enrollment includes people arriving through more than one academic pathway, rather than only students beginning college immediately after high school. Admissions **Admission rate** Not reported [Read the full admissions brief](/school/columbia-college/admissions/) 04 / Columbia College (MO) briefing ## [What are the largest majors at Columbia College (MO)?](/school/columbia-college/majors/)[\[12\]](#hub-data-note-programs) Four years after completion, Columbia College’s program earnings span higher-paying technical and health fields alongside more moderate human-services study. Computer and Information Sciences records median earnings of $81,090 with 8 degrees awarded, and Nursing records $78,632 with 44 degrees awarded. Management Information Systems and Services sits between those fields and the more moderate end, at $74,816 across 55 degrees awarded. Human Services records $46,785 and 103 degrees awarded, showing that the larger fields do not all share the same earnings level. Business accounts for 42.3% of bachelor’s degrees awarded, making it the largest program family at Columbia College. Published earnings data cover 18 fields, with several higher-earning options outside the largest fields. The program mix includes both large business offerings and smaller fields with higher reported earnings. Columbia College awards bachelor's degrees across 18 programs with published four-year earnings data. The program mix is anchored by Business, which accounts for 42.3% of degrees awarded, followed by Liberal Arts & General Studies at 18.0% and Security & Protective Services at 8.6%. The largest programs with published earnings are Business/Commerce and Liberal Arts and General Studies, each at 264 degrees awarded, with Criminal Justice third at 119. The highest-earning program is a small one: Computer and Information Sciences graduates report median earnings of $81,090 four years after completion, from 8 degrees awarded a year. Nursing follows at $78,632, with 44 degrees awarded. Management Information Systems and Services is the third-highest at $74,816, from 55 degrees awarded. The largest programs and the best-paid ones pull in different directions. Business/Commerce, the largest, earns $61,958, which is below the national median for its field at 0.91x. The highest-earning programs are concentrated in technical and health fields, but they award far fewer degrees. 7.8% of degrees are in STEM. The earnings picture is shaped more by the large business and general studies programs than by the smaller technical ones. Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields **Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 264 degrees awarded** $57,034 **Business/Commerce, General 264 degrees awarded** $61,958 **Criminal Justice and Corrections 119 degrees awarded** $56,128 **Human Services, General 103 degrees awarded** $46,785 **Psychology, General 92 degrees awarded** $49,166 **Business Administration, Management and Operations 90 degrees awarded** $64,997 Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings. [Read the full majors brief](/school/columbia-college/majors/) 05 / Columbia College (MO) briefing ## How does Columbia College (MO) serve students from different backgrounds? Completion figures make mobility a weaker part of the picture. Graduates earn about $5,626 more than the model expects for similar students. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 73rd percentile. Azimuth places the mobility pillar in the 9th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Lower completion and mobility standing pull against higher-than-expected earnings. Access is Columbia College’s clearest pillar, with Pell participation and transfer entry both central to its undergraduate profile. Azimuth places the access pillar in the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those figures point to multiple entry paths and a high national access standing. ## Data scope & methodology Structured payloads generated September 27, 2026 · Governed hub narrative September 27, 2026 · Governed spoke corpus September 27, 2026 Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection. Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them. Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects. Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release. Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source. Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth. [Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations](/methodology/) · [About College Azimuth](/about/) Read the analysis behind [value-added earnings](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) and the [change to four-year graduate earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/). These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com. ## Data notes & source fields Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the [U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/files/InstitutionDataDocumentation.pdf); notes with a different source link it below. 1. **Admission rate.** Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability. Source fields: `ADM_RATE` 2. **Six-year completion.** First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree. Source fields: `C150_4` 3. **Four-year institutional earnings.** Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion. Source fields: `MD_EARN_WNE_4YR` 4. **Median federal student debt.** Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students. Source fields: `GRAD_DEBT_MDN` 5. **National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks.** Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ. Source fields: `Azimuth rankings` [College Azimuth · Ranking methodology](/methodology/) 6. **Annual net price by family income.** Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers. Source fields: `NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV` 7. **Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration.** Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations. Source fields: `PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations` [College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) 8. **Downside and upside earnings; yellow band.** The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median. Source fields: `Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios` [College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) 9. **Value added and its components.** Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. Source fields: `Azimuth statistical model` [College Azimuth · Value-added methodology](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) 10. **SAT score range and reported midpoint.** Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range. Source fields: `SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG` 11. **First-year retention.** Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions. Source fields: `RET_FT4` 12. **Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots.** Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity. Source fields: `EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE` [College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/assets/FieldOfStudyDataDocumentation.pdf) 13. **Pell recipients.** Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year. Source fields: `PCTPELL` 14. **Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group.** This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns. Source fields: `1 − PFTFTUG1_EF` 15. **Peer earnings and signed differences.** Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure. Source fields: `Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR` [College Azimuth · Comparison methodology](/methodology/) [How to interpret program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)