Lyon College vs. Columbia International University

Lyon College vs. Columbia International University comparison

	Lyon College	Columbia International University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Lyon College	Columbia International University
Location	Batesville, AR	Columbia, SC
Setting	Remote Town	Midsize City
Enrollment	584	2,631
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking		#867
Religious Affiliation	Presbyterian Church (USA)	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	lyon.edu	ciu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Lyon College	Columbia International University
Tuition (In State)	$29,900	$26,700
Tuition (Out of State)	$29,900	$26,700
Room & Board	$10,750	$11,950
Avg Net Price	$22,675	$21,320
Avg Grant Aid	$22,064	$18,883
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	96%

Admission	Lyon College	Columbia International University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	2,522	372
Admitted	1,653	363
Acceptance Rate	65.5%	97.6%
Enrolled %	14.3%	32%
Avg High School GPA	3.0	3.5
Typical High School Grades	B	B+
Admissions Standards	Moderate	Easy
Applicant Competition	Low
ACT Range	21/26	16/25
SAT Range	1050/1195	990/1195
Submit Test Scores	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)
Application Deadline		Aug 1, 2026

Academics	Lyon College	Columbia International University
Student to Faculty Ratio	10:1	13:1
Popular Majors	Business (19%) Biology (16%) Psychology (14%) History (12%) English and Literature (10%)	Theology and Religious Vvocations (69%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (11%) Psychology (7%) General Studies (6%) Communication (3%)
Outcomes	Lyon College	Columbia International University
Graduation Rate	50%	57%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$43,900	$33,400
Making Student Loan Payments	60%	63%
Median Student Loan Debt	$25,000	$21,500
Median Loan Payment	$258	$222

Diversity	Lyon College	Columbia International University
% Men	2%	28%
% Women	2%	37%
Racial Diversity	Low	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	75%	72%
% Black	6%	10%
% Hispanic	7%	4%
% Native American	2%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	0%	2%
% International	2%	4%
% Unknown Race	6%	6%

Students	Lyon College	Columbia International University
% In-State	55%	57%
% Out-of-State	42%	41%
Campus	Lyon College	Columbia International University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	No
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Columbia International University is larger than than Lyon College based on total student enrollment (2,631 students vs. 584 students)

Lyon College vs. Columbia International University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Lyon College or Columbia International University?

• Lyon College is 12% more expensive to attend than Columbia International University for in-state tuition ($29,900.00 vs. $26,700.00)
• Out of state tuition is 12% higher at Lyon College than Columbia International University ($29,900.00 vs. $26,700.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Columbia International University than Lyon College ($21,320 vs. $22,675)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Lyon College are 11.2% lower than costs at Columbia International University ($10,750 vs. $11,950)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Lyon College than Columbia International University (100% vs. 96%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Lyon College students is 16.8% larger than aid received Columbia International University ($22,064 vs. $18,883)

Lyon College vs. Columbia International University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Lyon College (1120) is 75 points higher than at Columbia International University (1045)
• Incoming Lyon College students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Columbia International University (23)
• Accepted freshman Columbia International University students have a 0.5 point higher average high school GPA (3.5) than students at Lyon College (3.0)
• Columbia International University has a higher acceptance rate (97.6%) than Lyon College (65.5%)

Lyon College vs. Columbia International University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Lyon College or Columbia International University? 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 International University and Lyon College.

• The graduation rate at Columbia International University is higher than Lyon College (57% vs. 50%)
• Graduates from Lyon College earn on average $10,500 more per year than Columbia International University graduates after ten years. ($43,900 vs. $33,400)
• Columbia International University students graduate with a $3,500 lower median federal student loan debt than Lyon College graduates. ($21,500 vs. $25,000)
• Columbia International University graduates are paying $36 less per month on federal student loans than Lyon College graduates. ($222 vs. $258)
• More Columbia International University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Lyon College students, three years after graduation. (63% vs. 60%)

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