LaGrange College vs. Columbia College

LaGrange College vs. Columbia College comparison

	LaGrange College	Columbia College	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	LaGrange College	Columbia College
Location	Lagrange, GA	Columbia, SC
Setting	Distant Town	Midsize City
Enrollment	679	1,514
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking		#913
Religious Affiliation	United Methodist	United Methodist	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	lagrange.edu	columbiasc.edu
Team Colors

Costs	LaGrange College	Columbia College
Tuition (In State)	$32,800	$21,250
Tuition (Out of State)	$32,800	$21,250
Room & Board	$12,530	$8,400
Avg Net Price	$21,557	$18,779
Avg Grant Aid	$25,519	$16,089
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	97%

Admission	LaGrange College	Columbia College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,414	2,176
Admitted	836	2,135
Acceptance Rate	59.1%	98.1%
Enrolled %	26.6%	8.9%
Avg High School GPA	3.49	3.56
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Very Easy	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition	Low
ACT Range	19/24	14/18
SAT Range	980/1123	850/1140
Submit Test Scores	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline	Aug 31, 2025

Academics	LaGrange College	Columbia College
Student to Faculty Ratio	11:1	11:1
Popular Majors	Business (19%) Visual and Performing Arts (15%) Education (9%) Social Sciences (8%) Health Professions (8%)	Education (20%) Psychology (12%) Business (12%) Human Services (9%) Visual and Performing Arts (9%)
Outcomes	LaGrange College	Columbia College
Graduation Rate	48%	50%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$44,500	$34,700
Making Student Loan Payments	57%	43%
Median Student Loan Debt	$27,000	$25,264
Median Loan Payment	$279	$261

Diversity	LaGrange College	Columbia College
% Men	54%	15%
% Women	46%	85%
Racial Diversity	Medium	High
HBCU	No	No
% White	68%	55%
% Black	25%	34%
% Hispanic	2%	4%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	3%
% International	0%	2%
% Unknown Race	0%	1%

Students	LaGrange College	Columbia College
% In-State	79%	76%
% Out-of-State	20%	22%
Campus	LaGrange College	Columbia College
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	Yes	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Columbia College is larger than than LaGrange College based on total student enrollment (1,514 students vs. 679 students)

LaGrange College vs. Columbia College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, LaGrange College or Columbia College?

• LaGrange College is 54.4% more expensive to attend than Columbia College for in-state tuition ($32,800.00 vs. $21,250.00)
• Out of state tuition is 54.4% higher at LaGrange College than Columbia College ($32,800.00 vs. $21,250.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Columbia College than LaGrange College ($18,779 vs. $21,557)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Columbia College are 49.2% lower than costs at LaGrange College ($8,400 vs. $12,530)
• More students receive financial grant aid at LaGrange College than Columbia College (100% vs. 97%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by LaGrange College students is 58.6% larger than aid received Columbia College ($25,519 vs. $16,089)

LaGrange College vs. Columbia College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at LaGrange College (1012) is 41 points higher than at Columbia College (971)
• Incoming LaGrange College students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at Columbia College (21)
• Accepted freshman Columbia College students have a 0.07 point higher average high school GPA (3.56) than students at LaGrange College (3.49)
• Columbia College has a higher acceptance rate (98.1%) than LaGrange College (59.1%)

LaGrange College vs. Columbia College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, LaGrange College or Columbia 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 Columbia College and LaGrange College.

• The graduation rate at Columbia College is higher than LaGrange College (50% vs. 48%)
• Graduates from LaGrange College earn on average $9,800 more per year than Columbia College graduates after ten years. ($44,500 vs. $34,700)
• Columbia College students graduate with a $1,736 lower median federal student loan debt than LaGrange College graduates. ($25,264 vs. $27,000)
• Columbia College graduates are paying $18 less per month on federal student loans than LaGrange College graduates. ($261 vs. $279)
• More LaGrange College 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/