---
title: Columbia Southern University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Orange Beach, AL
control: For-profit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Columbia Southern University

Orange Beach, AL · For-profit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $63,534 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $38,559 – $93,506 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $13,980 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $9,375 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 33% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $18,226 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | not reported | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.22× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $35,534 | derived |

**33% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $13,980 (≈ 22% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $29,524 to $79,983 across 21 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians. | Master's Degree | $79,983 | $32,386 |
| Homeland Security. | Master's Degree | $75,707 | $37,075 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians. | Associate's Degree | $71,839 | $13,910 |
| Fire Protection. | Bachelor's Degree | $70,128 | $20,895 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $68,385 | $23,425 |
| Fire Protection. | Associate's Degree | $66,269 | $9,500 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $60,526 | $39,043 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. | Bachelor's Degree | $60,105 | $22,078 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Master's Degree | $58,501 | $39,585 |
| Public Administration. | Master's Degree | $57,300 | $40,144 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $52,800 | $20,209 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $50,330 | $23,998 |
| Human Resources Management and Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $48,176 | $21,862 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $47,097 | $23,491 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,392 | $23,621 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Associate's Degree | $46,115 | $12,140 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Associate's Degree | $44,702 | $16,640 |
| Public Health. | Master's Degree | $43,677 | $39,955 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Associate's Degree | $41,788 | $16,266 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,507 | $25,000 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services. | Associate's Degree | $29,524 | $15,886 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Columbia Southern University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?450933

---

Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/columbia-southern-university-al.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`