Columbia State vs Central Alabama Community College

Columbia State Community College and Central Alabama Community College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to students seeking a solid foundation for their academic and professional pursuits. While they share the common goal of providing accessible and affordable education, they differ in several key aspects. Columbia State boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a more diverse student body, while Central Alabama Community College maintains a smaller student population, fostering a close-knit community. Both institutions offer a wide range of programs, with Columbia State excelling in healthcare and business, and Central Alabama Community College specializing in engineering and manufacturing. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Central Alabama Community College	Columbia State Community College
Overview
Location	Alexander City, Alabama	Columbia, Tennessee
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	64.0%	56.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $20,528 Out of state: $24,218	In state: $20,060 Out of state: $33,518
Average net price	$8,885	$8,920
Tuition	In state: $3,690 Out of state: $7,380	In state: $4,326 Out of state: $17,784
Room & board
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	88.0% Average amount $5,626	78.0% Average amount $3,098
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $3,676	2.0% Average amount $4,406
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,578 Men 40.9% Women 59.1%	5,383 Men 37.7% Women 62.3%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	2.1%	N/A
International students	0.4%	0.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	N/A	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Alabama Georgia Connecticut Louisiana Oklahoma	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Precision Production Business Multidisciplinary Studies	Liberal Arts Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Education
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	21.9%	28.2%
Dropout rate	50.5%	59.3%
Transferred out	22.5%	6.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $48,360 Year 2: $50,677 Year 3: $54,686 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $19,701 Year 2: $15,817 Year 3: $22,993	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $52,604 Year 2: $53,956 Year 3: $57,257 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $42,577 Year 2: $44,858 Year 3: $46,477 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $40,579 Year 2: $37,328 Year 3: $38,819 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $26,964 Year 2: $24,267 Year 3: $34,528 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $27,954 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $31,649 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $22,621 Year 2: $25,565 Year 3: $29,222 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,816 Year 3: $27,494 Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,443 Year 3: N/A

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