Washington · Public · Predominantly associate's

Columbia Basin College

Pasco, Washington. 4,226 undergraduate students. 61 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.

ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS

What the data flags at Columbia Basin College

Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.

ENROLLMENT CLIFF · TRENDING WORSE-26%

Undergraduate enrollment

Undergraduate enrollment fell 26% at Columbia Basin College vs the 2018–2022 baseline (4.2k vs 5.7k).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING WORSE+24%

Median federal debt at exit

Median federal debt at exit at Columbia Basin College rose 24% between 2017 and 2020 ($12.0k → $14.8k).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING WORSE+16%

Out-of-state tuition

Out-of-state tuition at Columbia Basin College rose 16% between 2021 and 2024 ($7.5k → $8.7k).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING WORSE+14%

In-state tuition

In-state tuition at Columbia Basin College rose 14% between 2021 and 2024 ($5.8k → $6.6k).

SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT

The numbers, vs. Washington

Each tile compares this institution to the Washington median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.

MEDIAN EARNINGS · 10Y
$46,680+22% · 6→10y
Washington median $47,350
MEDIAN EARNINGS · 6Y
$38,255
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry
COMPLETION · 150%
27.7%+25% · '97→'24
Washington median 46.8%
MEDIAN FEDERAL DEBT
$7,506+465% · '97→'20
At program completion
UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENT
4,226+1% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS
RETENTION
+6% · '04→'11
first-time, full-time
ADMISSION RATE
latest cohort
IN-STATE TUITION
$6,194+272% · '00→'24
out-of-state $8,239
SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS

How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry

Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).

ALL FEDERALLY AIDED STUDENTS · TAX-RECORD EARNINGSVINTAGE 2025-05
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS

What loans cost relative to earnings

Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.

Institution-wide

2.1%
0%8% · GE20%+

Median federal debt $7,506 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $46,680 (10y after entry).

SECTION 04 · LONG ARC

Ten-plus year arc

Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.

UNDERGRAD · 199620244,640
6,1732,88819962024
Undergraduate enrollment.IPEDS EF
COMPLETION 150% · 1997202433.3%
36%16%19972024
150%-time completion rate.IPEDS GR
MEDIAN DEBT · 19972020$14,829
$14,829$2,62519972020
Median federal student debt at exit.SCORECARD
COMPLETION · 150% · 19972024+25%

Columbia Basin College · completion · 150% rose

26.6% → 33.3%

IN-STATE TUITION · 20002024+272%

Columbia Basin College · in-state tuition rose

$1,763 → $6,555

OUT-OF-STATE TUITION · 20002024+306%

Columbia Basin College · out-of-state tuition rose

$2,135 → $8,668

MEDIAN DEBT · 19972020+465%

Columbia Basin College · median debt rose

$2,625 → $14,829

COHORT DEFAULT RATE · 20112024-100%

Columbia Basin College · cohort default rate fell

13.2% → 0.0%

PELL SHARE · 20082024+23%

Columbia Basin College · pell share rose

21.0% → 25.7%

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_10YR · 20072020+39%

Columbia Basin College · earnings_median_10yr rose

$33,500 → $46,680

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_8YR · 20052020+42%

Columbia Basin College · earnings_median_8yr rose

$30,400 → $43,234

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_6YR · 20032020+43%

Columbia Basin College · earnings_median_6yr rose

$26,800 → $38,255

FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION

Estimate the financial outcome at Columbia Basin College

Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.

Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.

NET PRESENT VALUE
$142,732
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 14
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
graduationbreakeven · year 14year 0year 39
Cost per year
$8,973
HS-only baseline · WA
$41,200
Years to complete
2
CIP family
24

Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.

CAUSAL DISCIPLINE

Columbia Basin College graduates earn $X” — not “Columbia Basin College makes you earn $X”

Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Columbia Basin College caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.

Methodology →