Columbus State
Community College
Public Community College in Columbus, OH. Six-year graduation rate 28%. Median 10-year earnings $39,435.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $39,435, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. Only 28% finish within six years, so roughly three in four students leave without the credential they enrolled for. Borrowing stays contained, with median debt at graduation of $8,749.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.22 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Mobility score 1.0 — limited economic uplift documented
- ! Graduation rate 28% — below national average
Academics
Only 28% finish within six years, so roughly three in four students leave without the credential. 18% transfer out. IPEDS does not follow them, so whether they finished elsewhere is not recorded either way. The student-faculty ratio is 18:1 — typical, which in practice means large lectures early and smaller classes in the major. This is a public four-year university, so read every rate on this page against that peer group specifically. With 26,663 undergraduates, this is a large institution — expect the administrative scale and the range of offerings that come with it.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 17,128 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $8,108 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price varies modestly by income — $6,777 at $0–30k against $12,985 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. 48% get grants, which means the net price above will not apply to most applicants. About 28% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
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 · 1,873 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 | $6,777 |
| $30–48k | $7,161 |
| $48–75k | $8,643 |
| $75–110k | $11,660 |
| $110k+ | $12,985 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 4,745 of these 17,128 students, totalling $23,274,748 — an average of $4,905 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Franklin 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)