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Admissions & selectivity

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# Columbus State University Acceptance Rate & Admissions

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/columbus-state-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/columbus-state-university/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/columbus-state-university/outcomes/)Admissions[Majors](/school/columbus-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/columbus-state-university/similar/)

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## What is the acceptance rate at Columbus State University?

Columbus State University’s reported acceptance rate is 99.1%.

**Acceptance rate · Fall 2024**
99.1%

Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.

First-year applicants and admitted students · CDS 2024-25

**Applicants**
3,651

**Admitted**
3,617

Source: Columbus State University Common Data Set 2024-25, C1 · first-time, first-year students.

How to interpret the acceptance rate

Columbus State University admitted 99.1% of applicants, making admission broadly available within the reported applicant pool. The rate is above the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 3,651 first-year applicants and 3,617 admitted applicants.

## What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled Columbus State University students report?

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that the middle half of enrolled first-year students who submitted SAT scores scored between 800 and 1030. Only 13% of the entering class submitted SAT scores, so the range describes a small slice of the cohort.

For the 12% who submitted ACT scores, the middle half ranged from 16 to 22. Among enrolled first-year students with a reported high-school class rank, 10% placed in the highest tenth and 31% in the highest quarter. Just over half of the entering class, 52%, reported a rank.

The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at Columbus State University. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.

**13% of entering students submitted SAT scores**

SAT: reported composite scores

**25th percentile**
800

**Median**
930

**75th percentile**
1030

CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

**12% of entering students submitted ACT scores**

ACT: reported composite scores

**25th percentile**
16

**Median**
19

**75th percentile**
22

CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Source: Columbus State University Common Data Set 2024-25, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.

## Who enrolls at Columbus State University?

**Pell Grant recipients**
44.6%

**Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group**
34.3%

**First-year retention**
69.7%

Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.

About these student measures

The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.

Pell Grant recipients make up 44.6% of Columbus State University undergraduates, indicating that federal grant aid is part of the enrollment picture. Federal enrollment data count 5,625 undergraduates, and an estimated 34.3% arrived as transfers or part-time students, so the campus includes people beginning college there and people continuing prior coursework.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 982 degree-seeking transfer applicants, 685 admitted, and 406 enrolled.

Students at Columbus State University see retention and completion rates below the medians for comparable institutions. The first-year retention rate for full-time bachelor’s-seeking students is 69.7%, below the peer median of 73.7%.

For the first-time full-time cohort, the [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) is 41.8%, also below the peer median of 49.1%. Pell recipients in that cohort have a six-year completion rate of 36.3%, below the overall rate by 5.5 percentage points.

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).