Columbus State University vs South University-Savannah Online

Metric	Columbus State University	South University-Savannah Online
Undergraduate enrollment	5,625	6,433
Acceptance rate Lower means more selective	99.1%	—
Average SAT	977	—
Median ACT	21	—
In-state tuition	$5,898	$18,145
Out-of-state tuition	$17,610	$18,145
Average net price What students actually pay after aid	$13,115	$28,049
Median debt at graduation	$26,000	$26,123
Graduation rate	41.8%	6.9%
First-year retention	69.7%	34.0%
Median salary (10 yr)	$44,544	$34,421

Metric

Columbus State University

South University-Savannah Online

Undergraduate enrollment

5,625

6,433

Acceptance rate
Lower means more selective

99.1%

—

Average SAT

977

—

Median ACT

—

In-state tuition

$5,898

$18,145

Out-of-state tuition

$17,610

$18,145

Average net price
What students actually pay after aid

$13,115

$28,049

Median debt at graduation

$26,000

$26,123

Graduation rate

41.8%

6.9%

First-year retention

69.7%

34.0%

Median salary (10 yr)

$44,544

$34,421

What the numbers say

Columbus State University costs less after aid — $13,115 a year versus $28,049, a difference of $14,934 annually, or roughly $59,736 across four years.
Columbus State University graduates report higher median earnings — $44,544 against $34,421 ten years after entry.
Columbus State University graduates a larger share of its students — 41.8% versus 6.9%.
On pure return — salary divided by net price — Columbus State University comes out ahead at 3.4× versus 1.2×.

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 South University-Savannah Online run campus visits. Spending an afternoon on each will tell you things no dataset can.