McPherson College vs. Columbia College

McPherson College vs. Columbia College comparison

	McPherson College	Columbia College	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	McPherson College	Columbia College
Location	McPherson, KS	Columbia, SC
Setting	Remote Town	Midsize City
Enrollment	788	1,572
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking		#914
Religious Affiliation	Church of Brethren	United Methodist	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	mcpherson.edu	columbiasc.edu
Team Colors

Costs	McPherson College	Columbia College
Tuition (In State)	$34,072	$20,650
Tuition (Out of State)	$34,072	$20,650
Room & Board	$10,322	$8,550
Avg Net Price	$25,490	$23,920
Avg Grant Aid	$22,929	$13,961
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	98%

Admission	McPherson College	Columbia College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,209	2,163
Admitted	1,013	2,072
Acceptance Rate	83.8%	95.8%
Enrolled %	23.8%	9.8%
Avg High School GPA	3.33	3.56
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Very Easy	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	17/24	14/18
SAT Range	936/1126	850/1140
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)
Application Deadline	Aug 1, 2025

Academics	McPherson College	Columbia College
Student to Faculty Ratio	13:1	11:1
Popular Majors	Business (22%) Engineering Technology (16%) Visual and Performing Arts (15%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (9%) Education (8%)	Education (20%) Psychology (12%) Business (12%) Human Services (9%) Visual and Performing Arts (9%)
Outcomes	McPherson College	Columbia College
Graduation Rate	46%	50%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$44,200	$34,700
Making Student Loan Payments	67%	43%
Median Student Loan Debt	$26,000	$25,264
Median Loan Payment	$268	$261

Diversity	McPherson College	Columbia College
% Men	0%	2%
% Women	0%	17%
Racial Diversity	Medium	High
HBCU	No	No
% White	70%	55%
% Black	10%	34%
% Hispanic	12%	4%
% Native American	1%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	3%
% International	4%	2%
% Unknown Race	0%	1%

Students	McPherson College	Columbia College
% In-State	27%	79%
% Out-of-State	69%	16%
Campus	McPherson College	Columbia College
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	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 McPherson College based on total student enrollment (1,572 students vs. 788 students)

McPherson College vs. Columbia College Cost Comparison

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

• McPherson College is 65% more expensive to attend than Columbia College for in-state tuition ($34,072.00 vs. $20,650.00)
• Out of state tuition is 65% higher at McPherson College than Columbia College ($34,072.00 vs. $20,650.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Columbia College than McPherson College ($23,920 vs. $25,490)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Columbia College are 20.7% lower than costs at McPherson College ($8,550 vs. $10,322)
• More students receive financial grant aid at McPherson College than Columbia College (100% vs. 98%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by McPherson College students is 64.2% larger than aid received Columbia College ($22,929 vs. $13,961)

McPherson College vs. Columbia College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Columbia College (971) is 31 points higher than at McPherson College (940)
• Incoming Columbia College students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (21) than students at McPherson College (20)
• Accepted freshman Columbia College students have a 0.23 point higher average high school GPA (3.56) than students at McPherson College (3.33)
• Columbia College has a higher acceptance rate (95.8%) than McPherson College (83.8%)

McPherson College vs. Columbia College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, McPherson 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 McPherson College.

• The graduation rate at Columbia College is higher than McPherson College (50% vs. 46%)
• Graduates from McPherson College earn on average $9,500 more per year than Columbia College graduates after ten years. ($44,200 vs. $34,700)
• Columbia College students graduate with a $736 lower median federal student loan debt than McPherson College graduates. ($25,264 vs. $26,000)
• Columbia College graduates are paying $7 less per month on federal student loans than McPherson College graduates. ($261 vs. $268)
• More McPherson College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Columbia College students, three years after graduation. (67% vs. 43%)

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