Augusta University vs Columbus State University

Metric	Augusta University	Columbus State University
Undergraduate enrollment	5,613	5,625
Acceptance rate Lower means more selective	86.4%	99.1%
Average SAT	1,070	977
Median ACT	25	21
In-state tuition	$8,414	$5,898
Out-of-state tuition	$24,734	$17,610
Average net price What students actually pay after aid	$13,787	$13,115
Median debt at graduation	$20,500	$26,000
Graduation rate	48.8%	41.8%
First-year retention	75.6%	69.7%
Median salary (10 yr)	$48,472	$44,544

Metric

Augusta University

Columbus State University

Undergraduate enrollment

5,613

5,625

Acceptance rate
Lower means more selective

86.4%

99.1%

Average SAT

1,070

977

Median ACT

In-state tuition

$8,414

$5,898

Out-of-state tuition

$24,734

$17,610

Average net price
What students actually pay after aid

$13,787

$13,115

Median debt at graduation

$20,500

$26,000

Graduation rate

48.8%

41.8%

First-year retention

75.6%

69.7%

Median salary (10 yr)

$48,472

$44,544

What the numbers say

Augusta University is the harder admit at 86.4%, against 99.1% at Columbus State University.
Columbus State University costs less after aid — $13,115 a year versus $13,787, a difference of $672 annually, or roughly $2,688 across four years.
Augusta University graduates report higher median earnings — $48,472 against $44,544 ten years after entry.
Augusta University graduates a larger share of its students — 48.8% versus 41.8%.
On pure return — salary divided by net price — Augusta University comes out ahead at 3.5× versus 3.4×.

Comparison tables are a starting point, not a decision. Three things matter more than anything in the table above:

Your real aid offer. Net price is an average across all income levels. Two students at the same school can pay amounts that differ by tens of thousands. Wait for actual award letters before ruling anything out on cost.
Your intended major. Earnings vary more between majors at one school than between schools for one major. A computer science graduate from the "lower earning" school here will likely out-earn a general studies graduate from the other.
Whether you will finish. Graduation rate is the metric most predictive of whether the money spent turns into a credential. Campus fit, support services, and commute all feed into it more than prestige does.

Visit before you commit

Both Augusta University and Columbus State University run campus visits. Spending an afternoon on each will tell you things no dataset can.