The student population at Columbia Southern University is 17,763 (12,213 undergraduate and 5,550 graduate students) . The number of students has decreased by 3,060 (14.70%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 19,136 where 17,763 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 3 year-over-year increases and 6 decreases. It peaked at 21,442 students in 2017 and was lowest at 15,948 in 2023. Overall, enrollment dropped from 20,823 to 17,763 students, a net loss of 3,060 (14.7%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Columbia Southern University since 2015.
| Year | Total | Undergraduate | Graduate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | ||
| 2015-16 | 20,823 | 15,152 | 9,467 | 5,685 | 5,671 | 3,135 | 2,536 |
| 2016-17 | 21,442 619 | 15,530 378 | 9,744 277 | 5,786 101 | 5,912 241 | 3,224 89 | 2,688 152 |
| 2017-18 | 20,818 -624 | 15,050 -480 | 9,445 -299 | 5,605 -181 | 5,768 -144 | 3,070 -154 | 2,698 10 |
| 2018-19 | 21,104 286 | 15,245 195 | 9,610 165 | 5,635 30 | 5,859 91 | 3,121 51 | 2,738 40 |
| 2019-20 | 20,034 -1,070 | 14,364 -881 | 8,999 -611 | 5,365 -270 | 5,670 -189 | 2,927 -194 | 2,743 5 |
| 2020-21 | 18,533 -1,501 | 13,254 -1,110 | 8,543 -456 | 4,711 -654 | 5,279 -391 | 2,848 -79 | 2,431 -312 |
| 2021-22 | 16,412 -2,121 | 11,672 -1,582 | 7,607 -936 | 4,065 -646 | 4,740 -539 | 2,553 -295 | 2,187 -244 |
| 2022-23 | 15,948 -464 | 11,330 -342 | 7,420 -187 | 3,910 -155 | 4,618 -122 | 2,526 -27 | 2,092 -95 |
| 2023-24 | 18,487 2,539 | 13,111 1,781 | 8,661 1,241 | 4,450 540 | 5,376 758 | 3,050 524 | 2,326 234 |
| 2024-25 | 17,763 -724 | 12,213 -898 | 7,815 -846 | 4,398 -52 | 5,550 174 | 3,210 160 | 2,340 14 |
| Average | 19,136 | 13,692 | 8,731 | 4,961 | 5,444 | 2,966 | 2,478 |
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 13,692 where 12,213 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Columbia Southern University since 2015.
| Year | Total | Full-time | Part-time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | ||
| 2015-16 | 15,152 | 6,799 | 3,754 | 3,045 | 8,353 | 5,713 | 2,640 |
| 2016-17 | 15,530 | 8,921 | 5,281 | 3,640 | 6,609 | 4,463 | 2,146 |
| 2017-18 | 15,050 | 8,567 | 4,830 | 3,737 | 6,483 | 4,615 | 1,868 |
| 2018-19 | 15,245 | 8,397 | 4,779 | 3,618 | 6,848 | 4,831 | 2,017 |
| 2019-20 | 14,364 | 7,554 | 4,245 | 3,309 | 6,810 | 4,754 | 2,056 |
| 2020-21 | 13,254 | 6,866 | 4,048 | 2,818 | 6,388 | 4,495 | 1,893 |
| 2021-22 | 11,672 | 6,370 | 3,894 | 2,476 | 5,302 | 3,713 | 1,589 |
| 2022-23 | 11,330 | 6,428 | 3,970 | 2,458 | 4,902 | 3,450 | 1,452 |
| 2023-24 | 13,111 | 7,881 | 4,933 | 2,948 | 5,230 | 3,728 | 1,502 |
| 2024-25 | 12,213 | 8,000 | 4,879 | 3,121 | 4,213 | 2,936 | 1,277 |
| Average | 13,692 | 13,692 | 4,461 | 3,117 | 13,692 | 4,270 | 1,844 |
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 5,444 where 5,550 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Columbia Southern University since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 5,671 | 5,671 | 3,135 | 2,536 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016-17 | 5,912 | 5,912 | 3,224 | 2,688 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017-18 | 5,768 | 5,768 | 3,070 | 2,698 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018-19 | 5,859 | 5,859 | 3,121 | 2,738 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019-20 | 5,670 | 5,670 | 2,927 | 2,743 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020-21 | 5,279 | 5,279 | 2,848 | 2,431 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | 4,740 | 4,740 | 2,553 | 2,187 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | 4,618 | 4,618 | 2,526 | 2,092 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 5,376 | 5,376 | 3,050 | 2,326 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | 5,550 | 5,550 | 3,210 | 2,340 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Average | 5,444 | 5,444 | 2,966 | 2,478 | 5,444 | 0 | 0 |
The percentage of white students is 57.34%. The percentage was 54.13% 10 years ago and Columbia Southern still has a high percentage of white students. 1.95% of enrolled students is Asian and 20.97% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 1.43% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students increased from 54.13% to 57.34%. Asian enrollment declined from 2.97% to 1.95%. Black student enrollment decreased from 25.19% to 20.97%. Hispanic student representation contracted from 6.45% to 1.43%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.6257 which indicates that moderately diverse. This decreased from 0.6376 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has declined.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Columbia Southern University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
| Year | American Indian or Native American | Asian | Black | Hispanic | Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | White | Two or More Races |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 190 | 619 | 5,245 | 1,344 | 47 | 11,272 | 587 |
| 2016-17 | 223 | 722 | 5,250 | 1,430 | 38 | 11,722 | 642 |
| 2017-18 | 215 | 734 | 4,826 | 1,469 | 39 | 11,698 | 676 |
| 2018-19 | 197 | 505 | 4,149 | 1,060 | 32 | 10,255 | 569 |
| 2019-20 | 169 | 368 | 3,427 | 719 | 50 | 9,318 | 448 |
| 2020-21 | 144 | 335 | 3,360 | 620 | 83 | 9,444 | 426 |
| 2021-22 | 148 | 332 | 2,868 | 407 | 88 | 9,229 | 414 |
| 2022-23 | 158 | 314 | 2,894 | 340 | 79 | 9,129 | 416 |
| 2023-24 | 173 | 374 | 3,420 | 345 | 102 | 10,702 | 505 |
| 2024-25 | 165 | 347 | 3,725 | 254 | 119 | 10,185 | 514 |
| Average | 178 | 465 | 3,916 | 799 | 68 | 10,295 | 520 |
17,763 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 100% of total students. The number of online students has decreased -14.70% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Columbia Southern University from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 20,823 | 20,823 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016-17 | 21,442 | 21,442 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017-18 | 20,818 | 20,818 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018-19 | 21,104 | 21,104 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019-20 | 20,034 | 20,034 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020-21 | 18,533 | 18,533 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | 16,412 | 16,412 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | 15,948 | 15,948 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 18,487 | 18,487 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | 17,763 | 17,763 | 0 | 0 |
| Average | 19,136 | 19,136 | 0 | 0 |
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