Warren Wilson vs. Columbia College

Warren Wilson College vs. Columbia College comparison

	Warren Wilson College	Columbia College	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Warren Wilson	Columbia College
Location	Swannanoa, NC	Columbia, SC
Setting	Midsize Suburban	Midsize City
Enrollment	793	1,514
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking		#913
Religious Affiliation	Presbyterian Church (USA)	United Methodist	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	warren-wilson.edu	columbiasc.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Warren Wilson	Columbia College
Tuition (In State)	$37,500	$21,250
Tuition (Out of State)	$37,500	$21,250
Room & Board	$12,050	$8,400
Avg Net Price	$28,086	$18,779
Avg Grant Aid	$26,012	$16,089
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	97%

Admission	Warren Wilson	Columbia College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	905	2,176
Admitted	760	2,135
Acceptance Rate	84%	98.1%
Enrolled %	25.3%	8.9%
Avg High School GPA	3.6	3.56
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Difficult	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	21/29	14/18
SAT Range		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	Jul 3, 2025

Academics	Warren Wilson	Columbia College
Student to Faculty Ratio	8:1	11:1
Popular Majors	Natural Resources Conservation (28%) English and Literature (15%) Social Sciences (11%) General Studies (9%) Biology (7%)	Education (20%) Psychology (12%) Business (12%) Human Services (9%) Visual and Performing Arts (9%)
Outcomes	Warren Wilson	Columbia College
Graduation Rate	45%	50%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$30,800	$34,700
Making Student Loan Payments	72%	43%
Median Student Loan Debt	$23,000	$25,264
Median Loan Payment	$237	$261

Diversity	Warren Wilson	Columbia College
% Men	34%	15%
% Women	66%	85%
Racial Diversity	Low	High
HBCU	No	No
% White	76%	55%
% Black	4%	34%
% Hispanic	9%	4%
% Native American	1%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	3%
% International	2%	2%
% Unknown Race	4%	1%

Students	Warren Wilson	Columbia College
% In-State	40%	76%
% Out-of-State	58%	22%
Campus	Warren Wilson	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

• Columbia College is larger than than Warren Wilson based on total student enrollment (1,514 students vs. 793 students)

Warren Wilson vs. Columbia College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Warren Wilson or Columbia College?

• Warren Wilson College is 76.5% more expensive to attend than Columbia College for in-state tuition ($37,500.00 vs. $21,250.00)
• Out of state tuition is 76.5% higher at Warren Wilson than Columbia College ($37,500.00 vs. $21,250.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Columbia College than Warren Wilson ($18,779 vs. $28,086)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Columbia College are 43.5% lower than costs at Warren Wilson College ($8,400 vs. $12,050)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Warren Wilson College than Columbia College (100% vs. 97%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Warren Wilson College students is 61.7% larger than aid received Columbia College ($26,012 vs. $16,089)

Warren Wilson vs. Columbia College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Warren Wilson College (1120) is 149 points higher than at Columbia College (971)
• Incoming Warren Wilson students have a 4 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Columbia College (21)
• Accepted freshman Warren Wilson students have a 0.04 point higher average high school GPA (3.6) than students at Columbia College (3.56)
• Columbia College has a higher acceptance rate (98.1%) than Warren Wilson (84%)

Warren Wilson vs. Columbia College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Warren Wilson 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 Warren Wilson.

• The graduation rate at Columbia College is higher than Warren Wilson College (50% vs. 45%)
• Graduates from Columbia College earn on average $3,900 more per year than Warren Wilson graduates after ten years. ($34,700 vs. $30,800)
• Warren Wilson College students graduate with a $2,264 lower median federal student loan debt than Columbia College graduates. ($23,000 vs. $25,264)
• Warren Wilson graduates are paying $24 less per month on federal student loans than Columbia College graduates. ($237 vs. $261)
• More Warren Wilson graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Columbia College students, three years after graduation. (72% vs. 43%)

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