Columbus State University vs Georgia College & State University

Metric	Columbus State University	Georgia College & State University
Undergraduate enrollment	5,625	5,947
Acceptance rate Lower means more selective	99.1%	78.2%
Average SAT	977	1,163
Median ACT	21	24
In-state tuition	$5,898	$9,186
Out-of-state tuition	$17,610	$29,512
Average net price What students actually pay after aid	$13,115	$20,686
Median debt at graduation	$26,000	$22,250
Graduation rate	41.8%	63.6%
First-year retention	69.7%	82.3%
Median salary (10 yr)	$44,544	$58,140

Metric

Columbus State University

Georgia College & State University

Undergraduate enrollment

5,625

5,947

Acceptance rate
Lower means more selective

99.1%

78.2%

Average SAT

977

1,163

Median ACT

In-state tuition

$5,898

$9,186

Out-of-state tuition

$17,610

$29,512

Average net price
What students actually pay after aid

$13,115

$20,686

Median debt at graduation

$26,000

$22,250

Graduation rate

41.8%

63.6%

First-year retention

69.7%

82.3%

Median salary (10 yr)

$44,544

$58,140

What the numbers say

Georgia College & State University is the harder admit at 78.2%, against 99.1% at Columbus State University.
Columbus State University costs less after aid — $13,115 a year versus $20,686, a difference of $7,571 annually, or roughly $30,284 across four years.
Georgia College & State University graduates report higher median earnings — $58,140 against $44,544 ten years after entry.
Georgia College & State University graduates a larger share of its students — 63.6% versus 41.8%.
On pure return — salary divided by net price — Columbus State University comes out ahead at 3.4× versus 2.8×.

How to actually choose

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