Private for-profit · COLLEGE PAYOFF

South University-Columbia

Columbia, SC · 17 reportable field-and-credential outcomes

MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff

−$142,512 over 10 years

Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.

At these assumptions, the estimated earnings premium does not recover the modeled economic investment within ten years.

19.6 yrsModeled economic break-even
−49%Modeled 10-year ROI
$59,826Observed earnings · year 5
Economic ROI includes direct price and earnings forgone during study · $45,000 comparison earnings · values held flat · see the formula
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK

Estimated payoff over ten years.

The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.

10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$142,512at year 10
Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
−$290,7720
2
4
6
8
−$142,51210
Years after graduationBreak-even: 19.6 years
FEDERAL COST DATA

Four ways to read college price.

Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.

Published in-state tuition$18,145
Sticker price
Published out-of-state tuition$18,145
Sticker price
Average net price$27,693
Title IV student average
Cost of attendance$35,322
Tuition + living budget
PRICE SOURCECollege reported · annual amount · federal dataset
OBSERVED FEDERAL MEASURES

Cost, debt, completion and earnings context

$27,693Average net price / year
$35,322Cost of attendance
$26,123Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$277/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$59,826Median earnings · year 5 after completion
23.3%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
450Student size

Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.

PRICE BY FAMILY INCOME

Average net price is not one price

Federal averages for aided students in each family-income band. Your aid offer can differ.

$0–30k$26,588
$30–48k$30,474
$48–75k$32,022
$75–110k$29,386
$110k+Not available
LONGER-TERM CONTEXT

What happens beyond the first earnings measure

Year 5$59,826
Year 6$34,115
Year 10$34,421
Full-time retention
57.1%
Part-time retention
25.0%
Completion within 200% of normal time
5.0%

Earnings timepoints may use different historical cohorts and should not be read as one group’s guaranteed salary growth.

NATIONAL CONTEXT

How this college compares

Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.

80thEarnings percentile
6thCompletion percentile
WHAT STANDS OUT

A faster read on this college

These summaries use only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.

$53,445Median year-4 earnings across reportable program categories
$54,702Median federal debt across categories that report debt
12%Of earnings-reporting categories above their same-field national benchmark
EARNINGS PATH

Reported earnings over time

$55,439Year 1
$68,975Year 4
$59,826Year 5

Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.

PROGRAM PAYOFF SPREAD

The college average is not the whole story.

Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.

1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Graduate/Professional Certificate$120,2562Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Master's Degree$119,3073Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's Degree$91,3634Business Administration, Management and Operations · Master's Degree$74,2095Health and Medical Administrative Services · Master's Degree$65,1676Information Science/Studies · Bachelor's Degree$58,9157Criminal Justice and Corrections · Master's Degree$55,9508Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions · Master's Degree$55,052

Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding

BUILD A REAL SHORTLIST

Comparable colleges in SC

Currently operating private for-profit institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.

Myrtle Beach, SC

Galen Health Institutes-Myrtle Beach

Annual net price
$25,662
Observed earnings · year 5
$71,805
Modeled 10-year ROI
-5%
Open college profile →
Greenville, SC

Strayer University-South Carolina

Annual net price
$17,979
Observed earnings · year 5
$67,616
Modeled 10-year ROI
-10%
Open college profile →
Columbia, SC

Fortis College-Columbia

Annual net price
$20,404
Observed earnings · year 5
$36,724
Modeled 10-year ROI
-132%
Open college profile →
North Charleston, SC

Southeastern College-Charleston

Annual net price
$31,105
Observed earnings · year 5
$28,045
Modeled 10-year ROI
-156%
Open college profile →
ALL REPORTABLE PROGRAM CATEGORIES

Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes

Federal fieldCredentialEarnings, year 4Federal debt
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingGraduate/Professional Certificate$120,256Not available
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's Degree$119,307Not available
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's Degree$91,363$41,815
Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's Degree$74,209Not available
Health and Medical Administrative ServicesMaster's Degree$65,167Not available
Information Science/StudiesBachelor's Degree$58,915$52,173
Criminal Justice and CorrectionsMaster's Degree$55,950Not available
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsMaster's Degree$55,052Not available
Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's Degree$53,445$55,162
Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssociate's Degree$50,681$30,694
Legal Support ServicesBachelor's Degree$49,335$48,729
Public AdministrationMaster's Degree$47,649Not available
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralBachelor's Degree$47,390$57,500
Health and Medical Administrative ServicesBachelor's Degree$46,885$55,123
Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's Degree$46,322$55,652
Public HealthBachelor's Degree$45,993$56,262
Psychology, GeneralBachelor's Degree$39,694$54,702

Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.