Columbus State Community College

What Columbus State Community College does

Columbus State Community College (CSCC) is a public, state-chartered community college headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, operating as an independent government entity under the State of Ohio. Founded in 1967 and serving approximately 45,000 students annually with 2,500 employees, CSCC is the largest community college in Ohio and among the largest in the United States. It delivers more than 300 associate degrees and certificates across seven career and academic pathway divisions spanning arts and sciences, business and hospitality, computer science and IT, construction and skilled trades, education and human services, health sciences, and engineering and manufacturing.

CSCC delivers instruction through a multi-site physical footprint — including the main Columbus Campus in the downtown Discovery District, a Delaware Campus, the Dublin Regional Learning Center (jointly operated with Ohio University), and the Southwest Center at Bolton Field — supplemented by online and hybrid course modalities. The technology stack comprises standard educational infrastructure: Blackboard (LMS), Workday (student information system, replacing CougarWeb for autumn-semester functions), CougarWeb (summer-semester portal), Microsoft Teams (virtual instruction), Starfish (tutoring/academic support), NetTutor (24/7 virtual tutoring), Duo Security (MFA), and CougarConnect (student engagement). Program-level proprietary specialization exists in Cybersecurity (defensive/offensive strategies, networking, user support) and Mobile App Design.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid of state appropriations, tuition and fees, federal grants (U.S. Department of Labor, Department of Energy), workforce development contracts with regional employers, and customized corporate training. Tuition is state-regulated and positioned as an affordable alternative to four-year universities, with 76% of CSCC students taking on no debt in a year. Customer segments span recent high school graduates, adult learners, high school students (via the College Credit Plus program), regional employers (workforce pipeline), and healthcare/skilled trades career seekers. Employer partnerships include OhioHealth, Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Mount Carmel, LabCorp, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, Stellantis, and Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, anchoring both graduate placement and curriculum co-design. Strategic partnerships include Preferred Pathway transfer agreements with nine Ohio colleges and universities and Registered Apprenticeship partnerships across multiple skilled trades.

Name

Columbus State Community College

Legal name

Columbus State Community College

Website

https://cscc.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Columbus State Community College is Ohio's largest public community college, serving 45,000 annual students through 300+ associate degree and certificate programs across multiple Central Ohio campuses, funded via state appropriations, tuition, federal grants, and employer workforce contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community College Education

NAICS

Junior Colleges (611210), Junior Colleges (6112)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Community Colleges (Transfer + Workforce) (EDAHADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Urban/Metropolitan Community Colleges (EDAHADAL)

Keywords

• Associate degree programs
• Workforce development training
• Career technical education
• Community college education
• Professional certificate programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from student tuition and fees for credit courses and programs
2. State Funding: Operational funding from the State of Ohio for public community college operations
3. Federal Grants: Federal funding from U.S. Department of Labor, Department of Energy, and other agencies for workforce development programs
4. Workforce Development: Customized training programs for regional employers and industry partnerships

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Columbus State Community College is a public community college delivering associate degrees, short-term certificates, and customized workforce training across more than 250-300 programs in eight career and academic pathways, including healthcare, skilled trades, IT, business, hospitality, and engineering technologies. It serves recent high school graduates, adult learners, high school students (College Credit Plus), and regional employers through multiple campuses and online learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Associate Degree Programs
• Short-Term Certificate Programs
• College Credit Plus Program
• Workforce Development and Customized Training
• Distance Learning and Online Courses
• Registered Apprenticeship Programs
• Honors Program
• Aviation Maintenance Technology Program
• ConnectUS Digital Skills Hub

Quantifiable outcome

• 81%+ of CState alumni live and work in central Ohio, demonstrating strong workforce contribution to the region
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• The Ohio State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2026Joint team won Year Three Battery Workforce Challenge, designing and building advanced battery pack for commercial Ram ProMaster EV platform. Competition managed by Argonne National Laboratory, sponsored by U.S. DOE and Stellantis. Several participants secured positions at Stellantis following competition.
• Columbus and Franklin CountyflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2025Joint $20.2 million ConnectUS: Digital Skills Hub program offering free technology courses and devices to residents earning below 200% of federal poverty level. Trained 1,000 in pilot phase, aims to reach 10,000 by 2027 through 16 partner organizations.
• Marion Technical CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership formed in 2019 to improve grant funding capabilities. Collaboration increased Marion Tech's annual grant funding from $500,000 to over $2 million and led to multiple NSF awards and national recognition.
• Ohio UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership agreement since 2015 to locate Dublin Regional Learning Center on Ohio University's Dublin Integrated Education Building. Facility capacity of 2,000+ students per semester.
• OhioHealthflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint $120 million investment creating new training center for nursing and healthcare professions including Surgical Technology, Medical Imaging, and other health programs. Addresses workforce shortages in healthcare.
• The Ohio State University Wexner Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership allowing Surgical Technology students to complete training at Ohio State Jameson Crane Sports Medicine Institute Surgical Skills Lab.
• Argonne National LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManaged the Battery Workforce Challenge competition involving 11 North American teams. Competition sponsored by U.S. Department of Energy and Stellantis.
• StellantiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompetition sponsor for Battery Workforce Challenge. Several competition participants have already joined Stellantis, demonstrating program's effectiveness in developing future talent for automotive and battery engineering industries.
• Nine Ohio Colleges and UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPreferred Pathway partnerships with nine Ohio colleges and universities enabling seamless transfer for students completing associate degrees at Columbus State.
• Registered Apprenticeship PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with number of Registered Apprenticeships across Ohio including Electrician, Carpentry, Low Volt, Millwright, Operating Engineer, Plumbing, and Sheet Metal trades.
• Major IT EmployerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional IT employers partner with Columbus State for paid apprenticeship positions in Cybersecurity and Software Development as students complete degrees.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sinclair Community College: Major Dayton, Ohio community college offering 200+ programs with strong workforce development focus. Direct peer operating in same state system with similar mission around affordable transfer and career-technical education.
• Owens Community College: Toledo-area Ohio public community college offering associate degrees, certificates, and workforce development. Comparable two-year public institution in same state regulatory and funding environment.
• Lorain County Community College: Northeast Ohio community college with strong transfer partnerships (University Partnership program) and workforce training focus. Comparable public two-year institution in same state funding system.
• Cuyahoga Community College: Largest community college in Northeast Ohio serving Cleveland metro with similar mix of associate degrees, transfer pathways, and workforce training programs. Closest comparable Ohio community college by scale and urban footprint.
• Cincinnati State Technical and Community College: Cincinnati-based public community college offering associate degrees, certificates, and workforce training with cooperative education model. Comparable as urban Ohio community college serving regional employers.
• Edison State Community College: Western Ohio community college serving Piqua and surrounding region with associate degrees and transfer pathways. Comparable smaller-scale Ohio public community college.
• Stark State College: North Canton, Ohio community college with significant technical and workforce training emphasis in advanced manufacturing and healthcare. Comparable as Ohio public community college with applied/CTE focus.

Regional players

• Houston Community College: Large Texas urban community college system with comparable multi-campus, workforce-training, and transfer-pathway structure. Similar scale as one of the nation's largest community colleges but serving a different regional economy.
• Ivy Tech Community College: Indiana's statewide community college system, the largest in the US by enrollment, serving 200,000+ students. Comparable by scale, mission, and workforce-development orientation, but operating under different state funding and regulatory regime.

Broad incumbents

• The Ohio State University: Major public research university that is also CSCC's primary transfer partner via Buckeye Bridge and Preferred Pathway. Overlapping in delivering Ohio postsecondary education, but at four-year/baccalaureate level and broader research mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/133031866733662
• Xx.com/cscc_edu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/163153

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Columbus State Community College