Columbia Southern University
Orange Beach, Alabama · Private, for-profit
Graduate earnings
21of 21 assessed undergraduate programs
have graduates earning more than a typical Alabama high-school graduate (about $32,204 a year).
21 of 35 undergraduate programs could be assessed. The other 14: 13 with no earnings published and 1 with nothing reported. The 22 graduate programs are in the table.
Average net price, all families$14,580 a year By family income
What it would cost
Net price is the yearly cost after grants and scholarships, as reported for students who received federal aid.
Average for all families
$14,580 a year
About $14,580 over 1 year, if price and aid stay the same.
This multiplies the reported yearly net price by the years you choose. It is not a quote or a prediction: it leaves out interest, price rises and the chance of taking longer to finish.
Net price for every income band
| Family income | Net price per year |
|---|---|
| Under $30k | $12,913 |
| $30k to $48k | $13,455 |
| $48k to $75k | $15,569 |
| $75k to $110k | $16,226 |
| $110k and up | $17,408 |
| All families (average) | $14,580 |
College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Bands with no figure were not reported by the school.
Program earnings
Median earnings of each program’s graduates against a typical Alabama high-school graduate ($32,204 a year).
27 of 57 programs could be assessed 47% have an earnings verdict
| Program | Degree | Median earnings | vs a high-school grad | Verdict | Median debt | Debt as years of gain | Recent completers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration | Master's Degree | $79,103 | +$46,899 | above HS line | $39,043 | 0.8 yrs | 953 |
| Business Administration | Bachelor's Degree | $69,343 | +$37,139 | clears the bar | $23,998 | 0.6 yrs | 594 |
| Fire Protection | Bachelor's Degree | $88,735 | +$56,531 | clears the bar | $20,895 | 0.4 yrs | 585 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians | Bachelor's Degree | $94,480 | +$62,276 | clears the bar | $23,425 | 0.4 yrs | 521 |
| Fire Protection | Associate's Degree | $88,114 | +$55,910 | clears the bar | $9,500 | 0.2 yrs | 432 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians | Master's Degree | $99,847 | +$67,643 | above HS line | $32,386 | 0.5 yrs | 378 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $87,340 | +$55,136 | clears the bar | $13,910 | 0.3 yrs | 307 |
| Criminal Justice | Bachelor's Degree | $70,354 | +$38,150 | clears the bar | $20,209 | 0.5 yrs | 256 |
| Business Administration | Associate's Degree | $61,433 | +$29,229 | clears the bar | $16,640 | 0.6 yrs | 192 |
| Public Administration | Master's Degree | $74,452 | +$42,248 | above HS line | $40,144 | 1.0 yrs | 149 |
| Homeland Security | Master's Degree | $93,851 | +$61,647 | above HS line | $37,075 | 0.6 yrs | 131 |
| Healthcare Administration | Bachelor's Degree | $61,821 | +$29,617 | clears the bar | $23,621 | 0.8 yrs | 128 |
| Liberal Arts and General Studies | Associate's Degree | $62,009 | +$29,805 | clears the bar | $16,266 | 0.5 yrs | 99 |
| Criminal Justice | Associate's Degree | $66,000 | +$33,796 | clears the bar | $12,140 | 0.4 yrs | 98 |
| Human Resources | Bachelor's Degree | $62,061 | +$29,857 | clears the bar | $21,862 | 0.7 yrs | 96 |
| Mental Health and Counseling Services | Bachelor's Degree | $49,618 | +$17,414 | clears the bar | $25,000 | 1.4 yrs | 93 |
| IT Administration and Management | Bachelor's Degree | $77,738 | +$45,534 | clears the bar | $19,843 | 0.4 yrs | 75 |
| Public Health | Master's Degree | $66,208 | +$34,004 | above HS line | $39,955 | 1.2 yrs | 64 |
| Natural Resources and Conservation | Bachelor's Degree | $81,292 | +$49,088 | clears the bar | $22,078 | 0.4 yrs | 61 |
| Allied Health Diagnostics and Treatment | Bachelor's Degree | $95,774 | +$63,570 | clears the bar | $20,057 | 0.3 yrs | 60 |
| Criminal Justice | Master's Degree | $64,135 | +$31,931 | above HS line | $39,585 | 1.2 yrs | 57 |
| Homeland Security | Bachelor's Degree | $73,703 | +$41,499 | clears the bar | $21,628 | 0.5 yrs | 57 |
| Computer and Information Science | Bachelor's Degree | $63,248 | +$31,044 | clears the bar | $23,491 | 0.8 yrs | 53 |
| Healthcare Administration | Associate's Degree | $40,382 | +$8,178 | clears the bar | $15,886 | 1.9 yrs | 33 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $84,636 | +$52,432 | clears the bar | $15,879 | 0.3 yrs | 29 |
| Natural Resources and Conservation | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $78,159 | +$45,955 | clears the bar | $25,856 | 0.6 yrs | 15 |
| Business Administration | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $89,203 | +$56,999 | clears the bar | $25,428 | 0.4 yrs | 12 |
| Allied Health Diagnostics and Treatment | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 90 |
| Business Administration | Doctoral Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 41 |
| Fire Protection | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 22 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 15 |
| Computer and Information Science | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 10 |
| IT Administration and Management | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 10 |
| Public Administration | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 10 |
| Human Resources | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 8 |
| Human Resources | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Computer and Information Science | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Natural Resources and Conservation | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Fire Protection | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Fire Protection | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Homeland Security | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Healthcare Administration | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Mental Health and Counseling Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Business Administration | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Homeland Security | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Finance | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Marketing | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Finance | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Marketing | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Kinesiology and Physical Education | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Hospitality Management | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Natural Resources and Conservation | Post-baccalaureate Certificate | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians | Post-baccalaureate Certificate | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Healthcare Administration | Post-baccalaureate Certificate | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Business Administration | Post-baccalaureate Certificate | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Human Resources | Post-baccalaureate Certificate | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| International Business | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
Sources and definitions
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid. Debt is federal loans only.
- The high-school line is ED’s state benchmark, $32,204 a year.
- Earnings not published: ED reports the program but no earnings figure, usually because too few graduates were measured. Nothing reported: ED lists the program with no figures at all. Neither is a judgement of the program.
- Debt as years of gain is median federal debt divided by how much more graduates earn per year than a typical high-school graduate. It is not a repayment time.
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