10-yr median earnings
$38,262
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Orangeburg, South Carolina
South Carolina State University
South Carolina State University is a public institution in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Graduates earn a median of $38,262 ten years after enrollment at an average net price of $18,097/yr.
- $38,262
- 10-yr median earnings
- $18,097
- Avg net price / yr
- 82.6%
- Acceptance rate
- 32.7%
- 4-yr completion
The verdict
South Carolina State University pairs modest graduate earnings with open admission.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 75%
- graduate earnings, US
- 82.6%
- acceptance rate
- 32.7%
- 4-yr completion
- +27%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Town: Distant
Carnegie: Master's (S)
South Carolina State University is a public institution in Orangeburg, South Carolina enrolling 2,934 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release. The acceptance rate is 82.6%. Graduates earn a median of $38,262 ten years after enrollment, based on U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid data. The average net price after financial aid is $18,097. This profile includes admissions data, graduation rates, program-level earnings, and cost breakdowns to help students compare colleges using official federal data.
Data updated July 2026
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for South Carolina State University
South Carolina State University operates as a public institution located in Orangeburg, South Carolina (town: distant), with a total reported enrollment of 2,934 students of which 3,239 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile's peer group and cost cohort are determined; South Carolina State University is categorized as "Master's Colleges & Universities: Small Programs" under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.
Admissions and cost figures below come from the same annual IPEDS Fall enrollment survey and net-price calculation that every Title IV institution is legally required to submit to the federal government, so the same standardized methodology applies whether comparing a public flagship or a small private college. Net price nets grant and scholarship aid out of the published sticker price, the number financial-aid experts consider the honest comparison point - the table further down breaks that figure out by family income band rather than a single blended average, since what one family actually pays can look very different from what another family pays at the identical school.
The outcomes further down come from federal tax records the U.S. Treasury links to former students who received federal financial aid, not a self-reported alumni survey - an approach that removes response bias but also means graduates who never took federal aid are absent from the earnings figures. Completion and retention rates only count first-time, full-time degree-seeking students, so a school with a large transfer or part-time population can serve those students well without that showing up in these particular metrics. Reading the cost, completion, and earnings figures together, rather than any single one in isolation, is the approach the College Scorecard's own methodology recommends for judging return on investment.
College Value Score
F
College Value Score
29/100
South Carolina State University
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings D
$38,262
10-year median graduate earnings
Net Price D
$18,097
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Graduation Rate N/A
N/A
6-year completion rate
Debt F
$31,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment F
43.3%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention F
56.5%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$18,097
After grants and scholarships
4-yr completion
32.7%
First-time, full-time bachelor's
4-year completion vs national average (40%) 32.7%
Higher is better
College ROI Quadrant - South Carolina State University vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by 4-year graduation rate. Top-left = best ROI; bottom-right = avoid.
How South Carolina State University ranks nationally
Where this school's graduate earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
South Carolina State University: graduate earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$38,262 Top 75% higher than 25% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · 2024
Quick Facts
2,934
Total enrollment
82.6%
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
32.7%
4-yr graduation rate
$38,262
10-yr median earnings
56.5%
First-year retention
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 82.6% |
| ACT Average | 17 |
Share of applicants admitted
Costs & Financial Aid
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $11,060 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $21,750 |
| Average Net Price | $18,097 |
Net Price by Family Income
| $0 – $30,000 | $16,846 |
| $30,001 – $48,000 | $16,968 |
| $48,001 – $75,000 | $20,449 |
| Over $110,000 | $24,523 |
70.5%
Pell Grant Rate
67.2%
Federal Loan Rate
$31,000
Median Debt
$329/mo
Monthly Payment
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
49.0%
Female
35.9%
First Generation
Outcomes
32.7%
4-Year Completion Rate
56.5%
Retention Rate
$30,064
Median Earnings (6yr)
$38,262
Median Earnings (10yr)
39.9%
Earning Over $25K
43.3%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Programs & Earnings
Top programs at South Carolina State University by graduate earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Educational Administration…
Educational Administration and Supervision
$86,481 median earnings
- Computer and Information S…
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$66,821 median earnings
- Mechanical Engineering Rel…
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians
$63,129 median earnings
- Student Counseling and Per…
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
$55,513 median earnings
- Business/Commerce, General
Business/Commerce, General
$54,848 median earnings
- Rehabilitation and Therape…
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
$50,497 median earnings
- Communication Disorders Sc…
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
$48,628 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$48,108 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Guides & Resources
Is College Worth It?
Analyze the financial return of a degree
Debt vs. Earnings by Major
Which fields of study pay off fastest
Colleges With the Best ROI
Schools where graduates earn the most vs. cost
How to Compare Colleges
A data-driven framework for picking schools
Understanding Earnings Data
How College Scorecard measures outcomes
Community College vs. 4-Year
Compare costs, outcomes, and career paths
Related Colleges
Other public institutions in South Carolina
University of South Carolina-Columbia
Columbia, SC
29,820 students Earn $62,177 60.2% admit
Clemson University
Clemson, SC
23,300 students Earn $71,513 38.3% admit
College of Charleston
Charleston, SC
10,558 students Earn $56,416 60.0% admit
Trident Technical College
Charleston, SC
10,512 students Earn $38,253
Coastal Carolina University
Conway, SC
10,377 students Earn $47,258 75.3% admit
Greenville Technical College
Greenville, SC
8,916 students Earn $39,473
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at South Carolina State University? ▼
South Carolina State University is a public institution in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The acceptance rate is 82.6%. Total enrollment is 2,934 students.
How much do South Carolina State University graduates earn? ▼
Graduates of South Carolina State University earn a median of $38,262 ten years after enrollment. Six years after enrollment, median earnings are $30,064.
How much does South Carolina State University cost? ▼
The average net price at South Carolina State University is $18,097. In-state tuition is $11,060 and out-of-state tuition is $21,750. Median student debt at graduation is $31,000.
What is the graduation rate at South Carolina State University? ▼
South Carolina State University has a 4-year completion rate of 32.7%. The first-year retention rate is 56.5%.
Is South Carolina State University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at South Carolina State University is $31,000, while graduates earn a median of $38,262 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 81% of first-year post-graduation earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 43.3% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $329.
Sources & methodology
According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release, PlainCollege tracks 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 individual school-and-program earnings records nationwide.
Every figure on this page is read live from official U.S. federal datasets, as of the 2024-25 release. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - graduate earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
What this means for South Carolina State University
- South Carolina State University's graduates land in the 75th percentile nationally for 10-year earnings among reporting colleges.
- The average net price after aid is $18,097 - compare it against schools with similar outcomes but a lower cost.Find similar schools that cost less
- See how this school compares to every other college in South Carolina.Browse South Carolina
This profile is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or admissions advice. Figures are historical averages and may not predict an individual student's outcome - confirm current details directly with the institution before making enrollment decisions.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Institution profiles are compiled directly from College Scorecard, IPEDS, and Treasury earnings-linkage data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024-25.