Quad

Outcomes

What it pays

Former students earn a median $41,338 ten years after enrolling, more than at 16% of colleges; 52% graduate within six years. Four years of net price is about 1.9 years of that salary.

Earnings

Median earnings vs. every college$41.3K
$41.3K
← $24.8Khigher than 16% of 1,762$108.8K →

Earnings climb with time

6 years after entry$45.9K
10 years after entry$41.3K

Staying and finishing

60%

Retention

come back for year two

52%

Graduation

graduate within six years

National median graduation rate: 59%

Everyone who starts here, 8 years later

Students who entered in fall 2016, including and part-time students. The graduation rate counts only first-time, full-time students and treats a transfer out as not finishing.

53 of 100 students who start here earn a degree or certificate here within 8 years; 25 more are enrolled at another college. (659 students)

Earned a credential within 8 years

All entering students, by whether they had a Pell Grant.

Pell Grant recipients55%
Students without a Pell Grant51%
How long it takes

51 of 100 finish within 4 years, 53 within 6, and 53 within 8.

Earned a credential within4 yrs6 yrs8 yrs
All students51%53%53%
Started in college here52%55%56%
Transferred in51%52%52%

Transfer students' clock starts when they arrive here, not when they first started college.

National median: 60% of all entering students earn a credential at the college they started at within 8 years.

Do lower-income students finish?

First-time, full-time students who finished within 6 years; entered fall 2018.

  • Pell Grant recipients110 students

    30%

  • Subsidized loan, no Pell Grant26 students

    Not shown: under 30 students

  • Neither Pell nor subsidized loan24 students

    Not shown: under 30 students

All students in this class: 37%

By race and ethnicity

First-time, full-time students who finished within 6 years, from the College Scorecard's most recent release. Groups under 30 students aren't shown.

  • White51 students

    51% · 14 points above all students

  • Asian2 students

    Not shown: under 30 students

  • Hispanic/Latino7 students

    Not shown: under 30 students

  • Black87 students

    30% · 7 points below all students

  • Two or more races6 students

    Not shown: under 30 students

  • American Indian/Alaska Native1 students

    Not shown: under 30 students

All students (IPEDS, entered fall 2018): 37%

Cost vs. earnings

The 300 most-applied-to colleges plus Columbia College. Top-left is lower cost and higher earnings.

PublicPrivateDot size = undergrads

↑ Median earnings 10 years after entry (higher = more)

Lower cost, higher earnings$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100K$120K$140K$160K$0$10K$20K$30K$40K$50K$60K$70K$80KColumbia College
Average cost per year, all students (est.) → more expensive

Sources:College Scorecard, most recent release;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Outcome Measures survey, Students entering fall 2016;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)