Southeastern College-Columbia
For-profit College in Columbia, SC. Six-year graduation rate 67%. Median 10-year earnings $31,156.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $31,156, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. Completion is a strength: 67% of students finish within six years. Borrowing stays contained, with median debt at graduation of $9,500.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.30 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
With an acceptance rate of 97%, Southeastern College-Columbia takes nearly everyone who applies. With 112 applicants, admissions statistics here move a lot on small changes. A 58% yield rate puts this school in the upper range for admits who follow through.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Southeastern College-Columbia →Academics
A 67% six-year graduation rate is the strongest academic signal on this page. First-year retention is 67% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention drops to 49% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. A 12:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty. This is a for-profit two-year institution. That is not disqualifying, but it does mean verifying accreditation, transferability of credits, and job-placement claims directly rather than trusting the category.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 248 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay $32,068 a year on average after aid, a premium price that the earnings data has to justify. Net price varies modestly by income — $31,086 at $0–30k against $37,469 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. 97% of students get grant aid averaging $6,945, so the published price is a poor guide to what most pay. Borrowing is widespread: 89% take federal loans.
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 · 55 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 | $31,086 |
| $30–48k | $31,129 |
| $48–75k | $34,887 |
| $75–110k | $31,502 |
| $110k+ | $37,469 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 221 of these 248 students, totalling $1,933,467 — an average of $8,749 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Richland 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)