Advantages & Disadvantages of Studying in Columbus
You think about studying in Columbus but want to get additional information on student life, living costs, housing, career opportunities, student jobs, extracurricular activities and much more?
Great! Stick with me since I will show you the pros and cons of studying in Columbus in the following chapters.
Study in Columbus – Overview
Number of Universities | 17 colleges in Columbus and around 50 colleges and universities in the Columbus region. |
Quality of Universities | While you will find some good colleges, most colleges are just average and it is hard to find real world-class education on a broader scale. |
Networking Opportunities | Since Columbus is an important economic center, you can meet many influential people from various industries and can build a solid business network rather quickly. |
Student Life | While there are student clubs and other locations where you can meet up with like-minded people, student life in Columbus is not as interesting as in many other bigger metropolitan areas. |
International Students | Since the city of Columbus is not really popular outside of the US, there is also a rather limited number of international students in this region. |
Career Prospects | Since many colleges in Columbus are just average, your career prospects as a graduate from University of Columbus may be worse compared to people studying in New York City or other regions where education levels are higher on average. |
Nightlife | While there are some interesting bars and clubs in Columbus, you should still not expect the same great nightlife you may be used to from L.A. or other bigger metropolitan cities. |
Living Costs | Living costs in Columbus are lower compared to many other big cities in the US. |
Housing | Rents are still affordable in the Columbus region and many students in Columbus find a decent and affordable place to stay rather quickly. |
Weather & Climate | Students in Columbus can experience real seasons with warm summers and pretty cold winters. |

Advantages of Studying in Columbus
- Many students in Columbus find a decent place to stay rather quickly
- Rents are still affordable for many people studying in Columbus
- Living costs in Columbus are lower compared to many other big cities
- Low overall financial pressure for people who study in Columbus
- Students in Columbus can experience real seasons
- Relatively easy to build a strong business network in Columbus
- Many student jobs in Columbus
- You can work as an intern for big corporations
- Some big companies may recruit directly from campus
- Decent bars and clubs in Columbus
- You can study in decent libraries and other quiet places
- Students can relax in many recreational spaces in Columbus
- Many things to do in nature in the Columbus region
- Students in Columbus never run out of important material goods
- Decent public infrastructure in Columbus
- Easy to find new friends in the Columbus region
- You can join student clubs and enroll in extracurricular activities
- Columbus may be an underrated place to study
- Students in Columbus can get around by car in an efficient manner
Many students in Columbus find a decent place to stay rather quickly
One advantage of studying in Columbus is that housing shortage is not a big problem in this region yet and while people studying in San José or other more popular places often have to search for many months before they find a decent place to stay, students in Columbus often have a much easier time in this regard.
Rents are still affordable for many people studying in Columbus
Since rents are relatively low compared to many other big cities in the US, people who study in Columbus also don’t have to spend as much money on housing as students in Austin or other more popular places where overall demand for housing is much higher on average.
Living costs in Columbus are lower compared to many other big cities
You should also know that living costs in Columbus are lower than in many other big cities in the US and while students in San Diego and other more expensive regions have to spend lots of money on drinks and many other things of daily life, you can save lots of money in this regard in the Columbus region.
Low overall financial pressure for people who study in Columbus
Thanks to rather low living and housing costs, students in Columbus also don’t have to worry about financial problems and pressure as much as people in more expensive regions and this gives them the opportunity to really focus on their studies instead of giving away some mental capacities for worrying about their financial standing.
Students in Columbus can experience real seasons
Since summers are pretty warm while winters are really cold, people who study in Columbus can also experience real seasons and this can make your student life in Columbus pretty interesting since you can go swimming in summer and do winter sports in winter so you will get the best out of both worlds.
Relatively easy to build a strong business network in Columbus
Since Columbus is an important economic center and there are many influential people living in this region, you will also have a rather easy time building a strong business network which may help you find a decent job in the corporate world later on.
Many student jobs in Columbus
Another upside to studying in Columbus is that you will find more than enough student jobs where you can make some extra money to finance your studies to a certain degree and may also have some money to spend on nice things of daily life.
You can work as an intern for big corporations
Since there are many big corporations in the Columbus region, you will also have a rather easy time finding an internship in this area and you may therefore be able to make many important contacts that can help you find a decent job once you graduate.
Some big companies may recruit directly from campus
If you are really good and also get a degree that provides lots of value to the corporate world, you may even get hired directly from campus and may not even have to apply for a job since many job options may line up for you in a rather automatic manner.
Decent bars and clubs in Columbus
While nightlife in Columbus is not as great as in many other bigger metropolitan regions, you will still find some decent bars and clubs where you can meet up with like-minded people and can also have many interesting conversations which will make your student life in Columbus much more interesting.
You can study in decent libraries and other quiet places
There are also many libraries and other quiet spaces where you can study in the Columbus region and this can help you focus on exam preparation without getting distracted by people or other stuff so you can get the best grades possible.
Students can relax in many recreational spaces in Columbus
Studying in Columbus can also make sense since you will find many recreational spaces like parks and other locations where you can just sit down in public in a quiet atmosphere and can study while you will get lots of fresh air at the same time so your brain can work in an optimal manner.
Many things to do in nature in the Columbus region
Since there are many things you can do in nature in the Columbus region, you will also have many opportunities to relax in those nature reserves so you can reload your batteries and can study even harder after making those short vacations.
Students in Columbus never run out of important material goods
Since Columbus is a big city with working supply chains, you also don’t have to worry about running out of important material goods as a student in Columbus and will find most things you need pretty close to your home.
Decent public infrastructure in Columbus
You can also benefit from a pretty decent overall public infrastructure in Columbus and can really enjoy your student life in this region in a pretty convenient manner.
Easy to find new friends in the Columbus region
Since there are many bars, student clubs and other places to socialize, you will also be able to make many new social connections and friends in the Columbus region rather quickly and chances are you will have a great time as a student in this city and will never feel lonely.
You can join student clubs and enroll in extracurricular activities
As a student in Columbus, you will not only be able to get a fancy degree but you can also enroll in many extracurricular activities which can make your student life much more interesting and you can also do good for society at the same time.
Columbus may be an underrated place to study
Since you will find many amenities in the Columbus region while living and housing costs are pretty affordable, Columbus may also be considered an underrated place to study compared to many other big cities where you would have to spend far more money without getting many other additional things in return.
Students in Columbus can get around by car in an efficient manner
Since traffic is not a big problem in the Columbus region yet, students in Columbus can also get around by car in a pretty efficient manner and may also be able to rely on alternative means of transport to get from A to B so they will likely always be mobile.
As you can see, there are many reasons for studying in Columbus.
Yet, there are also some drawbacks of studying in Columbus that I want to discuss for you in the following so you will have a much better idea of whether you still want to study in Columbus or rather want to spend your student life in a different city instead.

Disadvantages of Studying in Columbus
- Columbus is not the most exciting student town
- Crime rates in Columbus are above national average
- Not many great universities in Columbus
- Graduates may have worse career prospects
- Hard to brag about studying in Columbus
- Students in Columbus can’t enjoy the beach
- Nightlife in Columbus is not as great as in many other big cities
- Public infrastructure gets worse outside the center of Columbus
- You may not meet many great guest professors in Columbus
- Not as many international students as in other major cities
- Tuition costs may be pretty high
- Students in Columbus often have to deal with significant student loan debt
Columbus is not the most exciting student town
One downside to studying in Columbus is that it is just not the most exciting and popular student town.
In fact, many young people just want to study in Los Angeles or other more popular places and you may therefore have a harder time meeting many young and ambitious students in this region.
Crime rates in Columbus are above national average
You should also know that crime rates in Columbus are above national average and if you are a rather cautious person, you may not get happy with student life in Columbus and may rather want to go for a safer place instead.
Not many great universities in Columbus
Another problem with studying in Columbus is that it is also relatively hard to find really good universities in this region.
While a few of them are pretty decent, the majority is just about average and if you really want to get world-class education, you may be better off studying at Harvard or other more renowned places instead.
Graduates may have worse career prospects
Since reputation of many colleges in Columbus is not great, graduates from those colleges may have worse career prospects compared to graduates from Yale or other prestigious educational institutions.
Hard to brag about studying in Columbus
Since Columbus is not the most popular student town, you may also have a hard time bragging about your student life in Columbus and while your peers may have pretty interesting stories to tell, you may not experience as many great things as a student in Columbus.
Students in Columbus can’t enjoy the beach
Another disadvantage of studying in Columbus is that Columbus is not located at the coast and while people living in Long Beach can enjoy the beach on a regular basis, you will not have the same luxury in Columbus and may therefore get fed up with student life in Columbus sooner or later.
Nightlife in Columbus is not as great as in many other big cities
While you will find some decent bars and clubs, you will still not have the same great nightlife as many people in bigger metropolitan regions and this may lower your overall quality of student life quite a lot in the long run, especially in case you are a party person and want to go out as often as possible.
Public infrastructure gets worse outside the center of Columbus
While public infrastructure is pretty decent near the city center of Columbus, it gets significantly worse in the outskirts and suburbs and you may therefore have a rather hard time getting around in case you are not able to afford to live close enough to the center.
You may not meet many great guest professors in Columbus
Since most universities in Columbus don’t have the greatest reputation, it is also pretty hard to meet and listen to many great guest professors while students in other more prestigious regions may have a much easier time in this regard.
Not as many international students as in other major cities
Since Columbus is not very popular on a global scale, not many international students plan to study in Columbus and you will therefore not meet as many students from all over the world as in many other more popular cities.
Tuition costs may be pretty high
You should also know that tuition can be pretty high in Columbus and if you are not careful, you may spend a fortune on your education and may get yourself into financial trouble rather easily.
Students in Columbus often have to deal with significant student loan debt
Since tuition can be really high and you also have to finance other expenses related to college education, student loan debt may become a serious problem and you may therefore have to pay back huge amounts of money later in life.

Top 10 Studying in Columbus Pros & Cons – Summary List
Studying in Columbus Pros | Studying in Columbus Cons |
---|---|
Relatively easy to find a decent place to rent in Columbus | Columbus is not the safest city |
Living costs in Columbus are still affordable for many students | Many students in Columbus stay in rather dodgy districts |
Low overall financial pressure for students in Columbus | Students in Columbus can’t enjoy the beach |
Students in Columbus can experience real seasons | Columbus may be too cold for many students |
Building a strong business network is rather easy | Columbus is not the most exciting college city |
Decent student clubs in Columbus | Hard to find really good education in Columbus |
You can do many extracurricular activities | Studying in Columbus may not be great for your résumé |
Easy to meet new people in Columbus | You may not have great career prospects |
Relatively easy for students in Columbus to get around | Not many renowned guest professors in Columbus |
Columbus may still be underrated | Columbus is not really popular among international students |
Is Columbus A Great City For Students?
While Columbus can be a good place to study since living and housing costs are still affordable while you can still enjoy many amenities you may be used to from other big cities, you should also know that many colleges are just not great and Columbus is also not the most popular student town in general.
Alternative Cities To Study
If you don’t want to study in Columbus anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:
Advantages and disadvantages of studying in Phoenix
Advantages and disadvantages of studying in Fort Worth
Advantages and disadvantages of studying in Jacksonville
Sources
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/columbuscityohio
Own research.

About the author
This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.
My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.
Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.
In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.