Columbia Southern University Overview
Columbia Southern University is a private for-profit institution located in Orange Beach, Alabama. The charming, small-town atmosphere of Orange Beach draws many to the area.
What Is Columbia Southern University Known For?
- The highest award offered at Columbia Southern University is the doctor's degree.
- For the 2017-2018 academic year, 34% of the faculty were full-time.
Featured schools near , edit

Columbia Southern University Rankings
According to our 2021 analysis, Columbia Southern University is ranked #232 out of 2,320 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality. This puts it in the top 10% of all schools in the nation. Out of the 29 colleges in Alabama, it is ranked at #1.
These rankings may look different from those published by other outlets, because we use an outcomes-based approach rather than a subjective one. We get our data from a number of places, including the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard. For more information, check out our rankings and methodology page.
Columbia Southern University has also been awarded the following overall awards by our latest rankings.
Rank | Ranking Name | Share |
---|---|---|
#5 | Best Associate’s Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#77 | Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
Program Level Awards
These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at Columbia Southern University.
Awards From Around the Web
The following table lists some notable awards Columbia Southern University has earned from around the web.
Rank | Ranking Name | Source |
---|---|---|
#1 | Highest Paid Natural Resources & Conservation Graduates | College Factual |
#3 | Best Natural Resources Conservation Colleges for Veterans | College Factual |
#5 | Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Colleges for Veterans | College Factual |
#28 | Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges for Veterans | College Factual |
#29 | Best Natural Resources & Conservation Colleges for Veterans | College Factual |
#67 | Best Colleges for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting | College Factual |
Where Is Columbia Southern University?

Contact details for Columbia Southern University are given below.
Contact Details | |
---|---|
Address: | 21982 University Lane, Orange Beach, AL 36561-9000 |
Phone: | 251-981-3771 |
Website: | www.columbiasouthern.edu |
Facebook: | https://www.facebook.com/Columbia.Southern |
Twitter: | https://twitter.com/CSUedu |
How Do I Get Into Columbia Southern University?
You can apply to Columbia Southern University online at: www.columbiasouthern.edu/Apply-Now
Can I Afford Columbia Southern University?
Student Loan Debt
Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At Columbia Southern University, approximately 59% of students took out student loans averaging $6,329 a year. That adds up to $25,316 over four years for those students.
The student loan default rate at Columbia Southern University is 9.6%. This is about the same as the national default rate of 10.1%.
Columbia Southern University Undergraduate Student Diversity

There are also 5,859 graduate students at the school.
Gender Diversity
Of the 8,397 full-time undergraduates at Columbia Southern University, 57% are male and 43% are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity
The racial-ethnic breakdown of Columbia Southern University students is as follows.

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 131 |
Black or African American | 1,739 |
Hispanic or Latino | 434 |
White | 4,176 |
International Students | 4 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 1,913 |
Geographic Diversity
Alabama students aren't the only ones who study at Columbia Southern University. At this time, 44 states are represented by the student population at the school.
Online Learning at Columbia Southern University
The following chart shows how the online learning population at Columbia Southern University has changed over the last few years.

This school is the most popular in Alabama for online learning according to the online graduations recorded by the Department of Education for the academic year 2017-2018.
Online Growth Rankings of Columbia Southern University
The average growth rate over the last four years of online students at Columbia Southern University was -0.3%. This is the #171 largest growth rate of all schools that are mostly online. This refers to all students at Columbia Southern University regardless of major.
The following table shows the 1-year growth rate of Columbia Southern University majors that offer at least one online course. This table only includes majors with positive growth.
The table below shows how the average growth rate over 4 years at Columbia Southern University ranks compared to all other mostly online schools that offer a specific major.
When we speak of partially online, we are referring to schools whose online population is less than 50% of its total student body. Mostly online refers to those with online populations greater than or equal to 50%.
Columbia Southern University Undergraduate Concentrations
The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.
Major | Basic Certificate | Associate’s | Bachelor’s | Graduate Certificate | Master’s | Doctor’s | TOTAL |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Business Administration & Management | 31 | 424 | 1,144 | 17 | 1,211 | 17 | 2,844 |
Quality Control Technology | 39 | 502 | 661 | 22 | 363 | 0 | 1,587 |
Fire Protection | 9 | 638 | 408 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,055 |
Criminal Justice & Corrections | 0 | 251 | 294 | 0 | 52 | 0 | 597 |
Health & Medical Administrative Services | 0 | 89 | 195 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 287 |
Homeland Security | 0 | 0 | 70 | 0 | 185 | 0 | 255 |
Human Resource Management | 21 | 0 | 153 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 188 |
Liberal Arts General Studies | 0 | 180 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 180 |
Natural Resources Conservation | 27 | 0 | 107 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 143 |
Computer Information Systems | 8 | 0 | 123 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 131 |
Public Administration | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 100 | 0 | 105 |
Mental & Social Health Services | 0 | 0 | 97 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 97 |
Public Health | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 0 | 68 |
Allied Health Professions | 0 | 0 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 |
Information Technology | 0 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 |
Finance & Financial Management | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Hospitality Management | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Health & Physical Education | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
International Business | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Marketing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
TOTAL | 145 | 2,084 | 3,339 | 71 | 1,979 | 17 | 7,635 |
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
![]() |
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |