Columbia College
Private College in Columbia, MO. Six-year graduation rate 47%. Median 10-year earnings $45,378.
Ten years after entry, the median Columbia College student earns $45,378 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. Six-year completion sits at 47%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Median debt at graduation is $23,879, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
Completion is middling: 47% finish inside six years. First-year retention is 75% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention runs well ahead of completion, which means students are not leaving immediately; they are leaving somewhere between the second year and the finish line. Retention drops to 26% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. A 20:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 5,274 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $21,530 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. Income makes less difference than usual: $23,967 at $0–30k, $21,545 at $110k+. About 63% get grants averaging $8,986, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. 43% of students take federal loans, a middling borrowing rate.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 331 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $23,967 |
| $30–48k | $21,168 |
| $48–75k | $21,550 |
| $75–110k | $23,015 |
| $110k+ | $21,545 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 2,286 of these 5,274 students, totalling $16,257,485 — an average of $7,112 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Boone County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)