Public Bachelor's Good 70/100

Columbia Basin College

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Pasco, Washington

About Columbia Basin College

Thinking about Columbia Basin College, a college in Washington where more students graduate in Liberal Arts than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Columbia Basin College is a public institution offering bachelor's degrees based in Pasco, Washington. It enrolls 4,640 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
—
Graduation
20.2%
Net Price
$8,317
Median Earnings (10yr)
$46,680
Enrollment
4,640
Student : Faculty
19:1

Accreditor Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Academic Calendar Quarter

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Open / Online), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
70/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Open / Online
Outcomes 41
Value 80
Affordability 49
Selectivity —

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Columbia Basin College does not report an acceptance rate. Schools that do not publish one are usually open-admission, but confirm with the admissions office before you assume it.

Acceptance Rate
—
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $8,317 a year on average, it sits well below what public colleges charge nationally. At that level cost is rarely the reason to rule a college out. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$8,317
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
26%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
4%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$6,555
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$8,668
Room & Board (on-campus)
$11,222
Room & Board (off-campus)
$12,410
Books & Supplies
$745
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,835
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,305
Total Cost of Attendance
$18,261

Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $7,010
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $7,642
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $9,595
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $11,019
  • Over $110,000
    $17,228

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$1,503
10% percentile
$2,757
25% percentile
$14,829
Median percentile
$11,638
75% percentile
$20,060
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $8,126 ↓ $6,703
No Pell $6,000 ↓ $8,829
Dependent students $5,500 ↓ $9,329
Independent students $9,500 ↓ $5,329
Female students $8,166 ↓ $6,663
Male students $6,334 ↓ $8,495
Pell recipients: 18.6% (2,762 students)No Pell: 13.8% (2,039 students)Dependent students: 12.6% (1,870 students)Independent students: 21.8% (3,229 students)Female students: 18.7% (2,776 students)Male students: 14.5% (2,153 students)Overall Median$14,829
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $6,286, less than completers ($14,829), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

20% of students who start here finish within six years. Most students who start here do not finish. That is the single most important number on this page. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
20%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
—
Returning for their second year
What this means: Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $46,680 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$46,680
Earning > $25K
72%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$37,000$40,000$42,000$45,000$48,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$34,400

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$48,300

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$36,100

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$42,800

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$49,000

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $13,900, about 29% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 24.2 pts across 6 years
60.1%1yr65.6%3yr75.8%5yr84.3%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 84% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 4,640 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 50% are the first in their family to go to college, and 41% study part-time, so many are working alongside classes.

Total Enrolled
4,640
Part-Time
41%
First-Generation
50%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 53.2% 2,469
White 30.7% 1,424
Other 4.3% 201
Asian 2.0% 93
Black 1.4% 65
International 0.2% 9
Hispanic: 53.2% (2,469 students)White: 30.7% (1,424 students)Other: 4.3% (201 students)Asian: 2.0% (93 students)Black: 1.4% (65 students)International: 0.2% (9 students)Total4,640

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Columbia Basin College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Large Suburb Pasco, Washington
Housing
Limited on-campus housing 126 beds
Adult Learners
30% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NAIA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Quarter scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Health graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Columbia Basin College offers an extensive catalog of programs: 48 distinct programs across 12 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

1 Program
12 Programs
9 Programs
9 Programs
5 Programs
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 19 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.

Student : Faculty
19:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$6,467
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$22M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$78,741
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

139 instructional faculty across 1 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
No Rank 139 100% $78,741

Pros & Cons of Columbia Basin College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Columbia Basin College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Very affordable net price after aid
  • First-gen-friendly student body
CONS
  • Class sizes are on the higher side
  • Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
  • No graduate programs offered at this institution
Best for: Based on the data, Columbia Basin College is a fit for families focused on keeping net cost low; working adults or students needing part-time study options.

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbia Basin College

The questions families ask most about Columbia Basin College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

How much does Columbia Basin College cost?
Budget around $8,317 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Columbia Basin College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: strong return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $46,680 a year against a net price of $8,317, about 5.6 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Columbia Basin College known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Nursing. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Columbia Basin College graduates earn?
About $46,680 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Columbia Basin College accredited?
Yes. Columbia Basin College is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
How many students attend Columbia Basin College?
4,640 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Columbia Basin College?
20% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Columbia Basin College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Columbia Basin College located?
Columbia Basin College is located in Pasco, Washington.
What programs does Columbia Basin College offer?
48 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Nursing. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Columbia Basin College?
19 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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