Best Online Education Programs in Columbia, SC (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Columbia, South Carolina has 1 accredited school offering education programs, with tuition ranging from $11,060 to $29,957 per year for indexed programs. Columbia has a population of about 138,019. Median household income is $55,653 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 46.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Columbia, SC metro area, the top-earning education-related role is Education Administrator, K-12 at a median $101,830 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Education Schools to Columbia

The 1 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 1 schools in our directory that offer education programs near Columbia. Distances are calculated from Columbia city center.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Columbia. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Published tuition$11,060 - $29,957

Online programsYes

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all South Carolina schools on the South Carolina education page.

Education Wages Near Columbia

Columbia is part of the Columbia, SC metro area (BLS area code 17900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to South Carolina statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Secondary School Teacher	$60,280	Columbia, SC	$64,333
Elementary School Teacher	$60,050	Columbia, SC	$64,088
Middle School Teacher	$59,400	Columbia, SC	$63,394
Education Teacher, Postsecondary	$78,880	Columbia, SC	$84,184
Education Administrator, K-12	$101,830	Columbia, SC	$108,677
Education Administrator, Postsecondary	$101,150	Columbia, SC	$107,951
Tutor	$33,780	Columbia, SC	$36,051
Educational and Career Counselor	$60,070	Columbia, SC	$64,109

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Columbia at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	138,019	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$55,653	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	46.1%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	93.7 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Education-related employment in Richland County	4,090 workers, 220 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Columbia-Area Cities With Education Programs

Lexington, SC – 18.4 mi away (20,988 pop)
Sumter, SC – 30.1 mi away (73,468 pop)
Orangeburg, SC – 37.6 mi away (31,666 pop)
Lancaster, SC – 48.1 mi away (25,691 pop)
Aiken, SC – 58.8 mi away (30,937 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited education schools are near Columbia, SC?

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering education programs near Columbia. The closest is South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, SC (37.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is South Carolina State University (37.3 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying education roles near Columbia?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying education-related roles near Columbia are: Education Administrator, K-12 ($101,830), Education Administrator, Postsecondary ($101,150), Education Teacher, Postsecondary ($78,880). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with South Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Lexington instead of Columbia?

Lexington, SC is 18.4 miles from Columbia and has its own set of local education programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Columbia an affordable place to study education?

Columbia’s median household income of $55,653 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Columbia while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South Carolina public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Education Programs

Other Programs Available in Columbia

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Columbia:

Data verified: June 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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