Best Online Healthcare Administration Programs in Columbia, SC (2026)

Columbia, South Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering healthcare administration programs, with tuition ranging from $5,512 to $15,399 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 healthcare administration-related role is Administrative Services Manager at a median $126,680 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Healthcare Administration Schools to Columbia

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer healthcare administration 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.

#1

University of South Carolina-Columbia

Columbia, SC 7.6 miles from Columbia BOC Score74.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#2

Midlands Technical College

West Columbia, SC 13.6 miles from Columbia BOC Score41.9
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#3

Central Carolina Technical College

Sumter, SC 31.4 miles from Columbia BOC Score43.9
Published tuition$5,715 - $13,295
Online programsYes

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#4

York Technical College

Rock Hill, SC 62.2 miles from Columbia BOC Score40.4
Published tuition$5,512 - $15,399
Online programs--

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#5

Florence-Darlington Technical College

Florence, SC 64.1 miles from Columbia BOC Score35.7
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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


Healthcare Administration 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.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Medical and Health Services Manager$107,280Columbia, SC$114,493
Health Information Technologist and Medical Registrar$49,290Columbia, SC$52,604
Administrative Services Manager$126,680Columbia, SC$135,197
Compliance Officer$72,990Columbia, SC$77,898
Medical Records Specialist$62,650Columbia, SC$66,862
Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant$40,160Columbia, SC$42,860

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

MetricValueSource
Population138,019Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$55,653Census 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
Healthcare Administration-related employment in Richland County29,014 workers, 1,484 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Columbia-Area Cities With Healthcare Administration Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited healthcare administration schools are near Columbia, SC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering healthcare administration programs near Columbia. The closest is University of South Carolina-Columbia in Columbia, SC (7.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Florence-Darlington Technical College (64.1 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying healthcare administration roles near Columbia?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying healthcare administration-related roles near Columbia are: Administrative Services Manager ($126,680), Medical and Health Services Manager ($107,280), Compliance Officer ($72,990). 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 healthcare administration 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 healthcare administration?

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 Healthcare Administration 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.