Lower Columbia College

https://lowercolumbia.edu

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    2024 Undergraduate Tuition
    $4,206
    5.47% growth from 2023
    2024 Average Net Price
    $9,950
    After Financial Aid
    2024 Enrolled Students
    2,724
    55.8% Full-Time
    2024 Graduation Rate
    23.4%
    47 Graduates

    About

    Lower Columbia College is a higher education institution located in Cowlitz County, WA. In 2024, the most popular Associates Degree concentrations at Lower Columbia College were Liberal Arts & Sciences (274 degrees awarded), Registered Nursing (121 degrees), and Early Childhood Education & Teaching (13 degrees).

    In 2024, 562 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs at Lower Columbia College. 75.6% of these degrees were awarded to women, and 24.4% awarded men. The most common race/ethnicity group of degree recipients was white (399 degrees), 5.78 times more than then the next closest race/ethnicity group, hispanic or latino (69 degrees).

    The median undergraduate tuition at Lower Columbia College is $4,206, which is $−3,954 less than the national average for Associates Colleges ($8,160).

    Associates Colleges: Mixed Transfer/Career & Technical-High TraditionalAssociates Colleges

    Costs

    In 2024, the median undergraduate tuition at Lower Columbia College is $4,206, which is $3,954 less than the national average for Associates Colleges ($8,160).

    After taking grants and loans into account, the average net price for students is $9,950.

    In 2024, 52% of undergraduate students attending Lower Columbia College received financial aid through grants. Comparatively, 13% of undergraduate students received financial aid through loans.

    Tuition Costs

    $4,206
    2024 Undergraduate Tuition

    In 2024, the cost of tuition at Lower Columbia College was $4,206. The cost of tuition at Lower Columbia College is $−3,954 less than than the overall (public and private) national average for Associates Colleges ($8,160).

    This chart compares the tuition costs of Lower Columbia College (in red) with those of other similar universities.

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    Average Net Price

    $9,950
    2024 Value
    6.25%
    1 Year Growth

    In 2024 Lower Columbia College had an average net price — the price paid after factoring in grants and loans — of $9,950. Between 2023 and 2024, the average net price of Lower Columbia College grew by 6.25%.

    This chart compares the average net price of Lower Columbia College (in red) with that of other similar universities.

    Average net price is calculated from full-time beginning undergraduate students who were awarded a grant or scholarship from federal, state or local governments, or the institution.

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    Other Student Expenses

    $17,868
    Room and Board
    $762
    Books and Supplies

    The average yearly cost of room and board at Lower Columbia College was of $17,868 in 2024. The cost of room and board increased by 8.21% between 2023 and 2024.

    During the same period, the average yearly cost of books and supplies was $762. The cost of books and supplies increased by 8.55% during the same period.

    This chart compares the average student costs at Lower Columbia College (in red) with that of similar universities.

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    Financial Aid by Income Level

    52%
    Undergraduates Receiving Financial Aid through Grants
    13%
    Undergraduates Receiving Financial Aid through Loans

    52% of undergraduate students at Lower Columbia College received financial aid through grants or loans in 2024. This represents a decline of 32.5% with respect to 2023, when 77% of undergraduate students received financial aid.

    This chart compares the average award discount at Lower Columbia College (in red) with that of other similar universities.

    The average award discount is the ratio between the average grant or scholarship value, and the cost, which is the sum of out-of-state tuition, room, board, book, supplies, and other expenses.

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    Enrollment

    Lower Columbia College had a total enrollment of 2,724 students in 2024. The full-time enrollment at Lower Columbia College is 1,521 students and the part-time enrollment is 1,203. This means that 55.8% of students enrolled at Lower Columbia College are enrolled full-time.

    The enrolled student population at Lower Columbia College, both undergraduate and graduate, is 60.5% White, 14.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Two or More Races, 2.31% Asian, 2.13% Black or African American, 0.698% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.257% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders.

    Students enrolled at Lower Columbia College in full-time Undergraduate programs are most commonly White Female (42.1%), followed by White Male (20.4%) and Hispanic or Latino Female (9.24%).

    Full-Time vs Part-Time Enrollment

    55.8%
    Full-Time Enrollment

    The total enrollment at Lower Columbia College in 2024, both undergraduate and graduate, is 2,724 students. The full-time enrollment at Lower Columbia College is 1,521 and the part-time enrollment is 1,203. This means that 55.8% of students enrolled at Lower Columbia College are enrolled full-time compared with 31.9% at similar Associates Colleges.

    This chart shows the full-time vs part-time enrollment status at Lower Columbia College (in red) compares to similar universities.

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    Enrollment by Race & Ethnicity

    Most Common Race or Ethnicity (2024)
    1. White
      1,649 enrolled students
    2. Hispanic or Latino
      406 enrolled students
    3. Two or More Races
      207 enrolled students

    The enrolled student population at Lower Columbia College is 60.5% White, 14.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Two or More Races, 2.31% Asian, 2.13% Black or African American, 0.698% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.257% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders. This includes both full-time and part-time students as well as graduate and undergraduates. By comparison, enrollment for all Associates Colleges is 41.3% White, 28.4% Hispanic or Latino, and 13.2% Black or African American.

    Any student who is studying in the United States on a temporary basis is categorized as a "Non-Resident Alien", and the share of those students are shown in the chart below. Additionally, 288 students (10.6%) did not report their race.

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    Graduates

    In 2024, 288 more women than men received degrees from Lower Columbia College. The most common race/ethnicity group of degree recipients at Lower Columbia College is white (399 degrees awarded). There were 5.78 times more white recipients than the next closest race/ethnicity group, hispanic or latino (69 degrees).

    The most common Associates Degree concentration at Lower Columbia College is Liberal Arts & Sciences (274 degrees awarded), followed by Registered Nursing (121 degrees) and Early Childhood Education & Teaching (13 degrees).

    In 2024,  the most specialized majors across all degree types at Lower Columbia College, meaning they have significantly more degrees awarded in that concentration than the national average across all institutions, are Liberal Arts & Humanities (274 degrees awarded), Precision Production (15 degrees), and Health (185 degrees).

    Common Jobs by Major

    N/A
    Most Common Job

    The most common jobs for people who hold a degree in one of the 5 most specialized majors at Lower Columbia College are N/A.

    The most specialized majors at Lower Columbia College in 2024 are Liberal Arts & Humanities (274 degrees awarded), Precision Production (15 degrees), Health (185 degrees), Mechanical Technologies (10 degrees), and Education (25 degrees) (as of 2024).

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    Highest Paying Jobs by Major

    Surgeons
    Highest Paying Job

    The highest paying jobs for people who hold a degree in one of the 5 most specialized majors at Lower Columbia College are Surgeons, Podiatrists, Correspondence clerks & order clerks, Securities, commodities, & financial services sales agents, and Physicians

    The most specialized majors at Lower Columbia College are Liberal Arts & Humanities (274 degrees awarded), Precision Production (15 degrees), Health (185 degrees), Mechanical Technologies (10 degrees), and Education (25 degrees) (as of 2024).

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    Common Industries by Major

    Elementary & secondary schools
    Most Common Industry

    The most common industries for people who hold a degree in one of the 5 most specialized majors at Lower Columbia College are Elementary & secondary schools (3,013,042 people), General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals (1,792,600 people), Computer Systems Design (561,797 people), Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges (515,095 people), and Architectural, engineering & related services (475,512 people).

    The most specialized majors at Lower Columbia College are Liberal Arts & Humanities (274 degrees awarded), Precision Production (15 degrees), Health (185 degrees), Mechanical Technologies (10 degrees), and Education (25 degrees) (as of 2024).

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    Majors Awarded

    IPEDS uses the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) standard, so the categories may not match the exact concentrations offered by Lower Columbia College.
    Most Common (2024)
    1. Medical Assistant
      8 degrees awarded
    2. Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) Machinist Technology
      1 degrees awarded
    3. Medical Insurance Coding Specialist
      1 degrees awarded

    In 2024, the most common 1 to 2 year postsecondary certificate concentration at Lower Columbia College was Medical Assistant with 8 degrees awarded.

    This visualization illustrates the percentage of degree-majors recipients from 1 to 2 year postsecondary certificate programs at Lower Columbia College according to their major.

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    Sex Breakdown for Common Majors

    137
    Degrees Awarded to Men
    in 2024
    425
    Degrees Awarded to Women
    in 2024

    In 2024, 137 degrees were awarded to men at Lower Columbia College, which is 0.322 times less than the number of degrees awarded to females (425).

    This chart displays the sex disparity between the top 5 majors at Lower Columbia College by degrees awarded.

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    Most Common Male Majors

    In 2024, 74 degrees were awarded to men at Lower Columbia College in Liberal Arts & Sciences, which is 0.37 times less than the 200 female recipients with that same degree.

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    Most Common Female Majors

    In 2024, 200 degrees were awarded to men at Lower Columbia College in Liberal Arts & Sciences, which is 2.7 times more than the 74 male recipients with that same degree.

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    Time to Complete

    18%
    100% Completion Time
    28%
    150% Completion Time

    In 2018, 18% of students graduating from Lower Columbia College completed their program within 100% "normal time" (i.e. 4 years for a 4-year degree). Comparatively, 28% completed their degrees within 150% of the normal time, and 31% within 200%.

    The following chart shows these completion rates over time compared to the average for the Associates Colleges Carnegie Classification group.

    Graduation rate is defined as the percentage of full-time, first-time students who received a degree or award within a specific percentage of "normal time" to completion for their program.

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    Race & Ethnicity by Share

    Most Common Student Race or Ethnicity (2024)
    1. White
      399 degrees awarded
    2. Hispanic or Latino
      69 degrees awarded
    3. Two or More Races
      41 degrees awarded

    The most common race/ethnicity at Lower Columbia College is white (399 degrees awarded). There were 5.78 times more white recipients than the next closest race/ethnicity group, hispanic or latino (69 degrees).

    2.67% of degree recipients (15 students) did not report their race.

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    Race & Ethnicity by Sex

    Most Common Sex Demographic (2024)
    1. White Female
      623 degrees awarded
    2. White Female
      620 degrees awarded
    3. White Female
      610 degrees awarded

    The most common race/ethnicity and sex grouping at Lower Columbia College is white female (623 degrees awarded). There were 1 times more white female recipients than the next closest race/ethnicity group, white female (620 degrees).

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    Operations

    Lower Columbia College has an endowment valued at nearly $25.2M, as of the end of the 2024 fiscal year. The return on its endowment was of 200k (0.793%) compared to the 12.8% average return (818k on 6.41M) across all Associates Colleges.

    In 2024, Lower Columbia College had a total salary expenditure of 58.4M. Lower Columbia College employs 75 No academic ranks. Most academics at Lower Columbia College are Female No academic rank (42), and Male No academic rank (33).

    The most common positions for non-instructional staff at Lower Columbia College are: Service, with 75 employees, Office and Administrative Support, with 71 employees, and Librarians, Curators, Archivists, and Academic Affairs and Other Education Services with 39 employees.

    Endowment

    $25.2M
    2024 Endowment
    31.9%
    growth from 2023

    Lower Columbia College has an endowment valued at about $25.2M, as of the end of the 2024 fiscal year. The endowment of Lower Columbia College grew 31.9% from the previous year. The value of their endowment was $18.8M higher than than the median endowment of Associates Colleges according to the Carnegie Classification grouping.

    This line chart shows how the endowment at Lower Columbia College (in red) compares to that of some similar universities.

    The small bar chart below shows the endowment quintiles for all universities in the Associates Colleges: Mixed Transfer/Career & Technical-High Traditional Carnegie Classification grouping.

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    Government Grants and Contracts

    Grants & Contracts
    1. $5.85M - Federal
    2. $4.13M - State
    3. $609k - Local

    As of 2024, Lower Columbia College received $5.85M in grants and contracts from the federal government, $4.13M from state grants and contracts, and $609k from local grants and contracts.

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    Salary Expenditure

    $27.8M
    2024 Salaries
    9.67%
    growth from 2023

    In 2024, Lower Columbia College paid a median of $27.8M in salaries, which represents 47.7% of their overall expenditure ($58.4M) and a 9.67% growth from the previous year. This is compared to a 7.93% growth between 2022 and 2023, and a 3.54% growth between 2021 and 2022.

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    Instructional Salaries

    $6.69M
    Instructional Salaries
    75
    Number of Employees

    In 2024, Lower Columbia College paid a total of $6.69M to 75 employees working as instructors, which represents 24% of all salaries paid.

    This is compared to a median of $720k (4.04%) for similar Associates Colleges.

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    Occupations by Share

    In 2024, the most common positions for non-instructional staff at Lower Columbia College were Service with 75 employees, Office and Administrative Support with 71 employees, and Librarians, Curators, Archivists, and Academic Affairs and Other Education Services with 39 employees.

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