Columbia College vs. UVa-Wise

Columbia College vs. The University of Virginia's College at Wise comparison

	Columbia College	The University of Virginia's College at Wise	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Columbia College	UVa-Wise
Location	Columbia, SC	Wise, VA
Setting	Midsize City	Distant Town
Enrollment	1,514	1,704
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#913	#750
Religious Affiliation	United Methodist	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	columbiasc.edu	uvawise.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Columbia College	UVa-Wise
Tuition (In State)	$21,250	$6,040
Tuition (Out of State)	$21,250	$25,419
Room & Board	$8,400	$11,919
Avg Net Price	$18,779	$9,923
Avg Grant Aid	$16,089	$14,299
% Receiving Grant Aid	97%	98%

Admission	Columbia College	UVa-Wise
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	2,176	835
Admitted	2,135	631
Acceptance Rate	98.1%	75.6%
Enrolled %	8.9%	39.8%
Avg High School GPA	3.56	3.57
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	14/18	19/25
SAT Range	850/1140	915/1160
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	UVa-Wise
Student to Faculty Ratio	11:1	14:1
Popular Majors	Education (20%) Psychology (12%) Business (12%) Human Services (9%) Visual and Performing Arts (9%)	Social Sciences (28%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (21%) Business (17%) General Studies (10%) History (7%)
Outcomes	Columbia College	UVa-Wise
Graduation Rate	50%	39%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$34,700	$42,100
Making Student Loan Payments	43%	57%
Median Student Loan Debt	$25,264	$20,827
Median Loan Payment	$261	$215

Diversity	Columbia College	UVa-Wise
% Men	15%	40%
% Women	85%	60%
Racial Diversity	High	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	55%	78%
% Black	34%	12%
% Hispanic	4%	2%
% Native American	1%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	0%
% International	2%	0%
% Unknown Race	1%	7%

Students	Columbia College	UVa-Wise
% In-State	76%	76%
% Out-of-State	22%	21%
Campus	Columbia College	UVa-Wise
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	No
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• The University of Virginia's College at Wise is larger than than Columbia College based on total student enrollment (1,704 students vs. 1,514 students)

Columbia College vs. UVa-Wise Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Columbia College or UVa-Wise?

• Columbia College is 251.8% more expensive to attend than UVa-Wise for in-state tuition ($21,250.00 vs. $6,040.00)
• Out of state tuition is 19.6% higher at UVa-Wise than Columbia College ($25,419.00 vs. $21,250.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at The University of Virginia's College at Wise than Columbia College ($9,923 vs. $18,779)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Columbia College are 41.9% lower than costs at The University of Virginia's College at Wise ($8,400 vs. $11,919)
• More students receive financial grant aid at The University of Virginia's College at Wise than Columbia College (98% vs. 97%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Columbia College students is 12.5% larger than aid received The University of Virginia's College at Wise ($16,089 vs. $14,299)

Columbia College vs. UVa-Wise Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Columbia College (971) is 29 points higher than at UVa-Wise (942)
• Incoming Columbia College students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (21) than students at UVa-Wise (20)
• Accepted freshman UVa-Wise students have a 0.01 point higher average high school GPA (3.57) than students at Columbia College (3.56)
• Columbia College has a higher acceptance rate (98.1%) than UVa-Wise (75.6%)

Columbia College vs. UVa-Wise Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Columbia College or UVa-Wise? 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 UVa-Wise and Columbia College.

• The graduation rate at Columbia College is higher than The University of Virginia's College at Wise (50% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from The University of Virginia's College at Wise earn on average $7,400 more per year than Columbia College graduates after ten years. ($42,100 vs. $34,700)
• The University of Virginia's College at Wise students graduate with a $4,437 lower median federal student loan debt than Columbia College graduates. ($20,827 vs. $25,264)
• UVa-Wise graduates are paying $46 less per month on federal student loans than Columbia College graduates. ($215 vs. $261)
• More UVa-Wise graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Columbia College students, three years after graduation. (57% vs. 43%)

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