Nearby colleges
Colleges near Columbia, SC
9 colleges and universities sit within 25 miles of Columbia, South Carolina — 8 in Columbia itself and the rest across the surrounding area. The table below is ordered by measured distance and includes cost, admissions, and graduation data.
Colleges near Columbia by the numbers
- Lowest published in-state tuition
- Midlands Technical College ($5,100)
- Median in-state tuition (9 reporting)
- $17,440
- Median net price after aid (9 reporting)
- $20,404
- Highest graduation rate
- University of South Carolina-Columbia (79%)
- Most selective
- Allen University (32% acceptance)
- Largest by enrollment
- University of South Carolina-Columbia (36,222 students)
Colleges within 25 miles of Columbia
Nearest first. Showing 9 of 9. Distance is straight-line from the centre of the Columbia campus cluster, not driving time.
| College | Distance | Location | In-state tuition | Avg. net price | Acceptance rate | Graduation rate | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia College | <1 mi | Columbia, SC | $21,450 | $9,921 | 100% | 72% | University |
| Benedict College | 2 mi | Columbia, SC | $17,440 | $18,250 | 96% | 24% | University |
| Allen University | 2 mi | Columbia, SC | $14,304 | $10,972 | 32% | 13% | University |
| University of South Carolina-Columbia | 3 mi | Columbia, SC | $12,688 | $22,811 | 60% | 79% | University |
| Southeastern College-Columbia | 4 mi | Columbia, SC | $25,080 | $31,941 | 97% | 67% | Community college |
| Fortis College-Columbia | 4 mi | Columbia, SC | $14,777 | $20,404 | 100% | 43% | Community college |
| Columbia International University | 4 mi | Columbia, SC | $27,900 | $26,036 | 94% | 47% | University |
| South University-Columbia | 5 mi | Columbia, SC | $18,145 | $27,693 | 100% | 23% | University |
| Midlands Technical College | 8 mi | West Columbia, SC | $5,100 | $4,647 | 100% | 18% | Community college |
What the Columbia area looks like
- Within 25 miles of Columbia CampusPin finds 9 colleges. 8 of them are in Columbia itself; the rest are in surrounding communities. Distances are measured from the centre of the Columbia campus cluster.
- Midlands Technical College has the lowest published in-state tuition among the 9 nearby colleges listed, at $5,100. Commuting from home is one of the largest levers on total cost, since housing is often the single biggest line after tuition.
- 3 of the 9 colleges shown are community colleges, which typically offer the lowest published tuition in a metro and transfer pathways into nearby four-year campuses.
How this list was built
This page runs a real geographic query: every college whose campus coordinates fall within 25 miles of Columbia is included, ordered by distance. No college appears here unless it is genuinely that close.
The Columbia anchor point is the average position of the campuses CampusPin holds for the city, so it reflects where colleges actually are rather than a civic centre-point. Distances are straight-line and are a guide to proximity, not a commute estimate.
Frequently asked questions
- How many colleges are near Columbia, SC?
- CampusPin finds 9 colleges and universities within 25 miles of Columbia, South Carolina. That includes 8 located in Columbia itself plus campuses in the surrounding area that are realistically commutable.
- What is the closest college to Columbia?
- Of the colleges on this page, Columbia College in Columbia is the nearest to the Columbia campus cluster at about under a mile. The table is ordered by distance, so the top rows are always the closest.
- Can I commute to college from Columbia?
- Every college on this page is within 25 miles of Columbia, which is a plausible commute for many students, though actual travel time depends on traffic and transit rather than straight-line distance. Check each college's profile for its exact location, and confirm commuter services and parking with the campus directly.
Other South Carolina metros
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Data sources & methodology
Locations, cost, and outcome figures for colleges near Columbia come from federal datasets and each institution's own reporting.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. Colleges Near Columbia, SC. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/colleges-near/columbia-sc