Columbia, SC (population: 130,246) has six IT schools within its city limits. Columbia College, the highest ranked school in the city with an IT program, has a total student population of 1,444. It is the 597th highest ranked school in the USA and the 10th highest in the state of South Carolina (#1 is Clemson University).
IT students from Columbia schools who go on to become computer support specialists, IT teachers, computer engineers, computer technicians, etc. have a good chance at finding employment. For example, there are 540,560 people working as computer support specialists alone in the US, and their average annual salary is $47,360.
Columbia lies in Richland county, which is one of the 27 counties in South Carolina. Overall, the Columbia area has 334,600 total employed workers according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 0.9% unemployment rate, $18.76/hr average worker wage, and a $39,020 average annual salary.
Of the 6 IT schools in Columbia, none have a student population over 10k. After taking into account tuition, living expenses, and financial aid, University of Phoenix-Columbia Campus comes out as the most expensive ($25,171/yr) for IT students, with Benedict College as the lowest, reported at only $13,633/yr.
| Name | State | Population | # of Schools | Avg School Rank | Total Programs | Distance from Columbia |
| Denmark | SC | - | 2 | 12.8531 | 54 | 51.7 miles |
| Hartsville | SC | - | 2 | 23.3042 | 83 | 52.1 miles |
| Graniteville | SC | - | 1 | 8.50122 | 49 | 62.2 miles |
| Rock Hill | SC | 72,341 | 5 | 30.0256 | 144 | 62.8 miles |
| North Augusta | SC | - | 1 | 27.4739 | 4 | 72.2 miles |
| Augusta | GA | - | 8 | 15.8236 | 215 | 75.4 miles |
| Martinez | GA | - | 2 | 23.4797 | 14 | 77.2 miles |
| Charlotte | NC | 723,514 | 18 | 27.5295 | 455 | 80.3 miles |
| Belmont | NC | - | 2 | 36.2771 | 82 | 83.6 miles |
| Gastonia | NC | 75,340 | 1 | 28.6194 | 5 | 85.2 miles |
| Spartanburg | SC | 40,665 | 7 | 35.0859 | 216 | 86.0 miles |
| North Charleston | SC | 99,930 | 3 | 24.6487 | 24 | 92.3 miles |
| Laurinburg | NC | - | 1 | 18.8047 | 40 | 96.0 miles |