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Columbia Southern University

#13 in Best Value Colleges in Alabama
  • 4 Year (Online)
  • 540 reviews
    C-
    Overall Niche Grade
    How are grades calculated?
    1. Professors
      C-
    2. Value
      B
    3. Diversity
      NG
    4. Safety
      NG
    5. Student Life
      NG
    6. Location
      NG
    Columbia Southern is a for-profit, online university. It is a mid-size institution with an enrollment of 8,567 undergraduate students. The Columbia Southern acceptance rate is 100%. Popular majors include Business, Occupational Safety and Health Technician, and Fire Science and Fire Fighting. Graduating 31% of students, Columbia Southern alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $51,900.
    About Columbia Southern University...
    Athletic Division
    —
    Athletic Conference
    —
    Address
    21982 University Lane
    Orange Beach, AL 36561
    Website
    columbiasouthern.edu
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    View College Rankings

    Admissions

    Acceptance Rate
    100%
    SAT Range
    —
    ACT Range
    —
    Application Fee
    $0
    SAT/ACT
    —
    High School GPA
    —

    Cost

    Net Price
    $11,061/ year
    National
    $15,523
    Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.
    Average Total Aid Awarded
    $3,265/ year
    National
    $7,535
    Students Receiving Financial Aid
    88%

    Academics

    Professors
    C-
    Based on faculty accomplishments, salary, student reviews, and additional factors.
    Student Faculty Ratio
    65:1
    Evening Degree Programs
    No
    63%
    of students agree that professors put a lot of effort into teaching their classes.57 responses
    94%
    of students agree that it is easy to get the classes they want.48 responses
    88%
    of students agree that the workload is easy to manage.48 responses
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    Majors

    Most Popular Majors
    • Business
      1,629 Graduates
    • Occupational Safety and Health Technician
      1,292 Graduates
    • Fire Science and Fire Fighting
      607 Graduates
    • Police and Criminal Science
      573 Graduates
    • Fire Protection and Prevention
      323 Graduates
    • Liberal Arts and Humanities
      214 Graduates
    • Healthcare Management
      200 Graduates
    • Human Resources
      198 Graduates
    • Information Technology
      141 Graduates
    • Environmental Science
      126 Graduates

    Students

    Full-Time Enrollment
    8,567Undergrads
    Part-Time Undergrads
    6,483
    Undergrads Over 25
    91%
    Pell Grant
    58%
    Varsity Athletes
    —
    Poll
    What one word or phrase best describes the typical student at this school?
    Based on 5 responses
    Report
    • Diverse
      60%
    • dedicated
      40%

    After College

    Median Earnings 6 Years After Graduation
    —
    National
    $33,028
    Graduation Rate
    31%
    National
    49%
    Employed 2 Years After Graduation
    92%
    National
    83%

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    Columbia Southern University Reviews

    540 reviews
    All Categories
    Such a flexible school, albeit the college is for profit, it offers a very unique life-term program, where you do not have due dates, you simply have one final due date and 8 -16 units (depending on course level) to complete. The college allows extensions at low cost, they give extra academic days for major holidays, and the school utilizes Blackboard which is the easiest computer-bases system to use. Furthermore, the school gives free access to Proquest, the huge scientific/business article database that allows you to citate peer reviewed-academic sources. Phenomenal! My counter part graduated from the MBA program and landed a GS13 position with our headquarters with this educational background. CSU allows for realistic educational goals and sets graduates apart.
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    I love Columbia Southern University. I came to CSU my sophomore year and what a welcomed change I experienced from a very disorganized freshman year at another college. I've attended CSU for four years now and they have always been very organized with not only my academics, but my financial aid , as well. My professors have all been approachable and helpful. CSU has been a very positive, rewarding experience. I would choose them again in a heartbeat and I recommend CSU to ANYONE of ANY age wanting to further their education! (Did I mention, I just turned 50? You're never too old to go back to school!)
    I graduated from CSU in 2017 with a bachelor’s in business administration. CSU was one of the most affordable online schools. I qualified for a Pell grant through financial aid, which paid for almost my entire schooling every term. The instructors and staff were very helpful along the way. Classes that I had taken at a previous college were easily transferred to CSU. Classes at CSU are in 8 week terms. Weekly assignments typically consisted of a classroom discussion forum topic and a 2-5 page essay. If you’re thinking about attending CSU, you HAVE to be knowledgeable in essay writing. I had to write essays almost every week in every class. If you are a student who does not like to write or does not know APA style, CSU may not be for you. CSU is VERY essay heavy. Overall I would highly recommend CSU because it is a college that provides a great education at an even better price! Upon graduation, I was able to find a job position in the healthcare field.