Cumberland College vs. Columbia College

University of the Cumberlands vs. Columbia College comparison

	University of the Cumberlands	Columbia College	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Cumberland College	Columbia College
Location	Williamsburg, KY	Columbia, SC
Setting	Remote Town	Midsize City
Enrollment	18,053	1,514
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#952	#913
Religious Affiliation	Baptist	United Methodist	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	ucumberlands.edu	columbiasc.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Cumberland College	Columbia College
Tuition (In State)	$9,875	$21,250
Tuition (Out of State)	$9,875	$21,250
Room & Board	$9,300	$8,400
Avg Net Price	$14,337	$18,779
Avg Grant Aid	$9,822	$16,089
% Receiving Grant Aid	99%	97%

Admission	Cumberland College	Columbia College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	2,314	2,176
Admitted	1,921	2,135
Acceptance Rate	83%	98.1%
Enrolled %	33.3%	8.9%
Avg High School GPA	3.47	3.56
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Very Easy	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	16/23	14/18
SAT Range	960/1160	850/1140
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 31, 2025

Academics	Cumberland College	Columbia College
Student to Faculty Ratio	18:1	11:1
Popular Majors	Business (24%) Education (11%) Biology (11%) Health Professions (8%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%)	Education (20%) Psychology (12%) Business (12%) Human Services (9%) Visual and Performing Arts (9%)
Outcomes	Cumberland College	Columbia College
Graduation Rate	43%	50%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$36,700	$34,700
Making Student Loan Payments	52%	43%
Median Student Loan Debt	$13,956	$25,264
Median Loan Payment	$144	$261

Diversity	Cumberland College	Columbia College
% Men	46%	15%
% Women	54%	85%
Racial Diversity	Low	High
HBCU	No	No
% White	76%	55%
% Black	6%	34%
% Hispanic	2%	4%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	1%	3%
% International	5%	2%
% Unknown Race	10%	1%

Students	Cumberland College	Columbia College
% In-State	65%	76%
% Out-of-State	28%	22%
Campus	Cumberland College	Columbia College
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• University of the Cumberlands is larger than than Columbia College based on total student enrollment (18,053 students vs. 1,514 students)

Cumberland College vs. Columbia College Cost Comparison

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

• Columbia College is 115.2% more expensive to attend than Cumberland College for in-state tuition ($21,250.00 vs. $9,875.00)
• Out of state tuition is 115.2% higher at Columbia College than University of the Cumberlands ($21,250.00 vs. $9,875.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at University of the Cumberlands than Columbia College ($14,337 vs. $18,779)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Columbia College are 10.7% lower than costs at University of the Cumberlands ($8,400 vs. $9,300)
• More students receive financial grant aid at University of the Cumberlands than Columbia College (99% vs. 97%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Columbia College students is 63.8% larger than aid received University of the Cumberlands ($16,089 vs. $9,822)

Cumberland College vs. Columbia College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at University of the Cumberlands (1022) is 51 points higher than at Columbia College (971)
• Incoming Cumberland College students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at Columbia College (21)
• Accepted freshman Columbia College students have a 0.09 point higher average high school GPA (3.56) than students at Cumberland College (3.47)
• Columbia College has a higher acceptance rate (98.1%) than Cumberland College (83%)

Cumberland College vs. Columbia College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Cumberland 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 Cumberland College.

• The graduation rate at Columbia College is higher than University of the Cumberlands (50% vs. 43%)
• Graduates from University of the Cumberlands earn on average $2,000 more per year than Columbia College graduates after ten years. ($36,700 vs. $34,700)
• University of the Cumberlands students graduate with a $11,308 lower median federal student loan debt than Columbia College graduates. ($13,956 vs. $25,264)
• Cumberland College graduates are paying $117 less per month on federal student loans than Columbia College graduates. ($144 vs. $261)
• More Cumberland College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Columbia College students, three years after graduation. (52% vs. 43%)

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