Paying for college is an investment in yourself and your future. Columbia College makes earning an associate or bachelor’s degree affordable with tuition that is half the national average of private non-profit colleges.
Paying for college is an investment in yourself and your future. Columbia College makes earning an associate or bachelor’s degree affordable with tuition that is half the national average of private non-profit colleges. We provide books at no cost to you so you can budget without any surprises.
You are viewing rates for all 2024-25 undergraduate programs and certificates that you can earn online or in-seat at any of our nationwide locations, including our evening program in Columbia and virtual.
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| Online and in-seat courses | Cost per credit hour ($) |
|---|---|
| Standard undergraduate rate | 375 |
| Standard partnership discount | 318.75 (15% tuition discount off standard undergraduate rate) |
| Audit tuition | 250 |
| Military-affiliated benefit rates/discounts | Cost per credit hour ($) |
|---|---|
| Currently serving[1]military member | 250[4] |
| Spouse/dependent[2] of currently serving military member | 250 |
| CC-affiliated installation[3]employee | 250 |
| Spouse/dependent[2] of CC-affiliated installation employee | 318.75 (15% tuition discount off standard undergraduate rate) |
| Veteran | 375 unless eligible for a separate rate/discount |
1 Currently serving: A member of the United States Armed Forces (Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, Space Force) that is currently serving whether on Active Duty, Guard, or Reserve status. Members of the Guard and Reserve must be drilling members or on active duty. Service members that are in the Inactive Ready Reserve (IRR) are not considered as currently serving for purposes of the Military-Affiliated Benefit.
2 Dependents must be under the age of 25 prior to the first day of the semester to be eligible to receive the dependent benefit.
3 Installation employees, their spouses and dependents of these installations are eligible for the new Military-Affiliated Benefit.
4 Columbia College provides a military grant to cover the cost of books.
These rates apply to students who are enrolled full-time (for the first time) as Columbia College students in listed semester.
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View tuition rates for the past 5 years
| Semester | 2023-24 Tuition ($) | 2024-25 Tuition ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | 12,403 | 13,153 |
| Spring | 12,403 | 13,153 |
| Total Tuition | 24,806 | 26,306 |
| Degree level | Cost per credit hour ($) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate | 375 |
| Number of credit hours | 2023-24 Tuition ($ per credit hour) | 2024-25 Tuition ($ per credit hour) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-6.0 (part time) | 514.00 | 645.00 |
| 6.1 - 11.9 (part time) | 751.00 | 645.00 |
| Over 18 (overload fee) | 514.00 | 645.00 |
These rates apply to students living on campus for the listed semester(s)
| Residential Hall | Fall 2023- Spring 2024 Cost per semester ($) | Fall 2024- Spring 2025 Cost per semester ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Banks double room | 2,601 | 2,627 |
| Miller double room | 2,703 | 2,703 |
| Hughes double room | 2,703 | 2,757 |
| Hughes Haven | 2,856 | 3,013 |
| New Residence Hall | 3,009 | 3,177 |
| Cougar Village | 3,111 | 3,193 |
| Cost per semester ($) | Cougar Bucks ($)[2] | Guest passes |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Platinum | 1,836 | 250 | 8 |
| Gold | 1,785 | 150 | 3 |
| Silver | 1,734 | 50 |
3 |
| Commuter and Cougar Village only | 1,326 | 50 |
3 |
2 Cougar Bucks are a dollar equivalence only accepted at Columbia College dining facilities. Cougar Bucks offer Columbia College students a convenient method of paying for goods and services. Cougar Bucks do not rollover from semester to semester, so be sure to use them all up before the semester ends.
| Meal plan | Cost per semester ($) | Cougar Bucks ($)[2] |
|---|---|---|
| Platinum | 2,010 | 250 |
| Gold | 1,960 | 150 |
| Silver | 1,910 | 50 |
| Commuter and Cougar Village only | 1,366 |
50 |
2 Cougar Bucks are a dollar equivalence only accepted at Columbia College dining facilities. Cougar Bucks offer Columbia College students a convenient method of paying for goods and services. Cougar Bucks do not rollover from semester to semester, so be sure to use them all up before the semester ends.
| Type | Fee ($) |
|---|---|
| BSN Program fee: Bachelor of Science in Nursing students will pay an additional $500 Nursing Program fee in each of the first four semesters of the program ($2,000 total). |
2000.00[3] |
3Fee applies to incoming BSN students prior to Fall 2021.
| Type | Fee ($) |
|---|---|
| Annual permit | 40.00 |
| January to July | 35.00 |
| May to July | 30.00 |
| Type | Fee ($) |
|---|---|
| Insurance: mandatory for International Students (per year) | approx. $1,200 |
| Description | Cost |
|---|---|
| CLEP & DSST administration charge | $25 |
| Transcript | $10 |
If applicable, an NSF Bank charge of $25 and/or a late payment charge of $29 may apply to your account.
Upon registration, all students are required to pay the entire balance of their accounts (after financial aid awards are considered) or enroll in a deferred payment plan .
Timely payment of tuition is required to continue your attendance at the College. If unforeseen circumstances occur that preclude you from paying in a timely fashion, please contact the Center for Student Success office.
We honor Employer Tuition Assistance, Military Tuition Assistance (MTA) and V.A. Vocational Rehabilitation. We also encourage students to apply for financial assistance. For more information please visit the Financial Assistance page.
Columbia College offers several options for financial aid and scholarships. Visit Financial Aid for more information.
Until the balance is paid, the student will not be allowed to:
Each semester's charges are due in full at the time of registration. Arrangements may be made to use a deferred payment plan.
For more in-depth information about tuition and fees, read the Tuition and Fees section of the Undergraduate Catalog.
If main campus students withdraw or take a leave of absence from Columbia College, they may be eligible for a tuition adjustment.
If a student needs to pay educational expenses in installments, a deferred payment plan may be arranged. Due dates and more detailed information for payment plans are available upon registration. Any payment not made by the due date is subject to a late payment charge. All students not paying in full upon registration are required to sign a deferred payment contract through epayment. Read the Deferred Payment Policy.
Half the cost details — Tuition for Columbia College online undergraduate courses is $375 per credit hour for the 2019-2020 academic year. Based on a completion of 30 credit hours in an academic year, the annual cost would be $11,250. This is about half the cost or less than the national average private nonprofit tuition and fees rate. National average tuition and fees for public, private nonprofit and for-profit colleges and universities are published in the CollegeBoard Trends in College Pricing 2018 report .