Columbia College vs. Bluefield State College

Columbia College vs. Bluefield State College comparison

	Columbia College	Bluefield State College	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Columbia College	Bluefield State College
Location	Columbia, SC	Bluefield, WV
Setting	Midsize City	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	1,514	1,306
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#913	#986
Religious Affiliation	United Methodist	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	columbiasc.edu	bluefieldstate.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Columbia College	Bluefield State College
Tuition (In State)	$21,250	$8,840
Tuition (Out of State)	$21,250	$16,030
Room & Board	$8,400	$10,200
Avg Net Price	$18,779	$11,759
Avg Grant Aid	$16,089	$10,160
% Receiving Grant Aid	97%	96%

Admission	Columbia College	Bluefield State College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	2,176	813
Admitted	2,135	790
Acceptance Rate	98.1%	97.2%
Enrolled %	8.9%	33.4%
Avg High School GPA	3.56	3.41
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	14/18	17/22
SAT Range	850/1140	870/1080
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline		Aug 1, 2025

Academics	Columbia College	Bluefield State College
Student to Faculty Ratio	11:1	14:1
Popular Majors	Education (20%) Psychology (12%) Business (12%) Human Services (9%) Visual and Performing Arts (9%)	Health Professions (29%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (16%) Engineering Technology (16%) Business (11%) Education (9%)
Outcomes	Columbia College	Bluefield State College
Graduation Rate	50%	22%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$34,700	$31,800
Making Student Loan Payments	43%	30%
Median Student Loan Debt	$25,264	$19,000
Median Loan Payment	$261	$196

Diversity	Columbia College	Bluefield State College
% Men	15%	40%
% Women	85%	60%
Racial Diversity	High	Very Low
HBCU	No	Yes
% White	55%	85%
% Black	34%	9%
% Hispanic	4%	1%
% Native American	1%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	1%
% International	2%	2%
% Unknown Race	1%	1%

Students	Columbia College	Bluefield State College
% In-State	76%	54%
% Out-of-State	22%	46%
Campus	Columbia College	Bluefield State College
Campus Housing	Yes	No
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	No
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	No
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Columbia College is larger than than Bluefield State College based on total student enrollment (1,514 students vs. 1,306 students)

Columbia College vs. Bluefield State College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Columbia College or Bluefield State College?

• Columbia College is 140.4% more expensive to attend than Bluefield State College for in-state tuition ($21,250.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 32.6% higher at Columbia College than Bluefield State College ($21,250.00 vs. $16,030.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Bluefield State College than Columbia College ($11,759 vs. $18,779)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Columbia College are 21.4% lower than costs at Bluefield State College ($8,400 vs. $10,200)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Columbia College than Bluefield State College (97% vs. 96%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Columbia College students is 58.4% larger than aid received Bluefield State College ($16,089 vs. $10,160)

Columbia College vs. Bluefield State College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Columbia College or Bluefield State College? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Bluefield State College or Columbia College .

• The average SAT score at Columbia College (971) is 37 points higher than at Bluefield State College (934)
• Incoming Columbia College students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (21) than students at Bluefield State College (20)
• Accepted freshman Columbia College students have a 0.15 point higher average high school GPA (3.56) than students at Bluefield State College (3.41)
• Columbia College has a higher acceptance rate (98.1%) than Bluefield State College (97.2%)

Columbia College vs. Bluefield State College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Columbia College or Bluefield State College? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Bluefield State College and Columbia College.

• The graduation rate at Columbia College is higher than Bluefield State College (50% vs. 22%)
• Graduates from Columbia College earn on average $2,900 more per year than Bluefield State College graduates after ten years. ($34,700 vs. $31,800)
• Bluefield State College students graduate with a $6,264 lower median federal student loan debt than Columbia College graduates. ($19,000 vs. $25,264)
• Bluefield State College graduates are paying $65 less per month on federal student loans than Columbia College graduates. ($196 vs. $261)
• More Columbia College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Bluefield State College students, three years after graduation. (43% vs. 30%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/