Colleges in South Carolina
This page aggregates every Title IV–eligible college and university with a primary campus in South Carolina, drawing from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, IPEDS institutional reports, and de-identified IRS earnings linkage for federal-aid recipients. Coverage includes public flagships, regional comprehensives, community and technical colleges, private nonprofit institutions, and for-profit schools.
The state-aggregate statistics below include all reporting institutions in South Carolina as a single denominator — community colleges, public universities, private nonprofits, and for-profit institutions are pooled. State averages are therefore useful for high-level framing (in-state tuition is X, average admission rate is Y, average earnings are Z) but should not be read as representative of any specific sector or institution. Drill into individual school profiles for the full picture: admissions, costs (sticker and net), federal-aid usage, completion, retention, demographics, and earnings outcomes 6 and 10 years after enrollment.
The most-recent Scorecard release is from September 2024. Tuition figures reflect institutional reports for the 2022–23 academic year and may differ from current-year prices. Earnings data has an inherent lag — the 10-year earnings horizon reflects students who enrolled approximately a decade prior to the data publication, as the IRS-matching process requires time to accumulate post-enrollment income.
Largest Colleges in South Carolina by Enrollment
Highest Earnings 10-Year Median — South Carolina
What the IPEDS Data Shows for Colleges in South Carolina
South Carolina has 88 Title IV-participating postsecondary institutions in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the federal directory that captures every college eligible to award federal student aid. The ownership mix is 34 public institutions, 0 private nonprofits, and 0 private for-profit schools — a structural split that drives most of the tuition variation visible in the table below. Public institutions typically report substantially lower in-state tuition because state appropriations subsidize the published price, while private nonprofits often show higher sticker prices that are partially offset by institutional aid.
Cost and selectivity signals vary widely even within a single state. The average in-state tuition across South Carolina institutions is $16,649, and the average admission rate (weighted by institutions that report one) sits at 73.2%. Admission rates from IPEDS exclude open-enrollment institutions, which is why community colleges and many for-profits show as unreported rather than at 100 percent. Looking at the table, the acceptance-rate column is blank for schools that don’t screen applicants, a meaningful distinction when evaluating selectivity alongside earnings.
Post-graduation outcomes tie cost to return. Graduates of South Carolina colleges earn a mean of $39,798 ten years after enrollment, based on U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal aid applicants through the College Scorecard data file. Because earnings depend heavily on field of study and local labor markets, state-level averages should be read alongside each school’s program mix. The table sorts every institution with reported IPEDS enrollment so prospective students can compare acceptance rates, enrollment scale, and median earnings side by side rather than relying on third-party rankings.
All Schools in South Carolina
| School Name | City | Type | Enrollment | Acceptance Rate | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of South Carolina-Columbia | Columbia | Public | 29,820 | 60.2% | $62,177 |
| Clemson University | Clemson | Public | 23,300 | 38.3% | $71,513 |
| College of Charleston | Charleston | Public | 10,558 | 60.0% | $56,416 |
| Trident Technical College | Charleston | Public | 10,512 | — | $38,253 |
| Coastal Carolina University | Conway | Public | 10,377 | 75.3% | $47,258 |
| Greenville Technical College | Greenville | Public | 8,916 | — | $39,473 |
| Midlands Technical College | West Columbia | Public | 7,564 | — | $38,701 |
| Horry-Georgetown Technical College | Conway | Public | 6,274 | — | $35,507 |
| Tri-County Technical College | Pendleton | Public | 5,071 | — | $40,101 |
| Spartanburg Community College | Spartanburg | Public | 5,006 | — | $37,097 |
| University of South Carolina-Upstate | Spartanburg | Public | 4,038 | 67.3% | $48,587 |
| Piedmont Technical College | Greenwood | Public | 3,977 | — | $35,768 |
| York Technical College | Rock Hill | Public | 3,816 | — | $37,257 |
| Winthrop University | Rock Hill | Public | 3,523 | 79.3% | $47,185 |
| Lander University | Greenwood | Public | 3,397 | 81.3% | $42,396 |
| Anderson University | Anderson | Private Nonprofit | 3,183 | 54.7% | $42,101 |
| Florence-Darlington Technical College | Florence | Public | 3,055 | — | $32,748 |
| University of South Carolina Aiken | Aiken | Public | 2,962 | 78.5% | $45,603 |
| South Carolina State University | Orangeburg | Public | 2,934 | 82.6% | $38,262 |
| Charleston Southern University | Charleston | Private Nonprofit | 2,893 | 96.5% | $45,898 |
| Citadel Military College of South Carolina | Charleston | Public | 2,705 | 22.7% | $72,085 |
| Francis Marion University | Florence | Public | 2,628 | 86.4% | $43,888 |
| Furman University | Greenville | Private Nonprofit | 2,379 | 43.0% | $68,635 |
| Central Carolina Technical College | Sumter | Public | 2,163 | — | $32,603 |
| University of South Carolina Beaufort | Bluffton | Public | 2,052 | 72.5% | $48,088 |
| Bob Jones University | Greenville | Private Nonprofit | 2,005 | — | $44,354 |
| Aiken Technical College | Graniteville | Public | 1,925 | — | $39,225 |
| Strayer University-South Carolina | Greenville | Private For-Profit | 1,868 | — | $40,092 |
| North Greenville University | Tigerville | Private Nonprofit | 1,819 | 66.7% | $43,035 |
| Wofford College | Spartanburg | Private Nonprofit | 1,816 | 51.9% | $68,964 |
| Claflin University | Orangeburg | Private Nonprofit | 1,706 | 64.9% | $40,304 |
| Technical College of the Lowcountry | Beaufort | Public | 1,679 | — | $35,090 |
| Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College | Orangeburg | Public | 1,539 | — | $35,761 |
| Benedict College | Columbia | Private Nonprofit | 1,536 | 95.7% | $31,902 |
| Newberry College | Newberry | Private Nonprofit | 1,479 | 89.8% | $48,040 |
| Columbia College | Columbia | Private Nonprofit | 1,343 | 93.9% | $41,338 |
| Converse University | Spartanburg | Private Nonprofit | 1,173 | 67.7% | $40,867 |
| Spartanburg Methodist College | Spartanburg | Private Nonprofit | 1,116 | 78.2% | $42,895 |
| Northeastern Technical College | Cheraw | Public | 921 | — | $32,141 |
| Presbyterian College | Clinton | Private Nonprofit | 852 | 68.4% | $60,194 |
| Coker University | Hartsville | Private Nonprofit | 840 | 94.0% | $40,117 |
| Erskine College | Due West | Private Nonprofit | 766 | 62.7% | $53,459 |
| Southern Wesleyan University | Central | Private Nonprofit | 747 | 99.5% | $47,756 |
| Arclabs | Piedmont | Private For-Profit | 744 | — | — |
| Galen Health Institutes-Myrtle Beach | Myrtle Beach | Private For-Profit | 743 | — | $61,480 |
| Columbia International University | Columbia | Private Nonprofit | 716 | 94.5% | $38,951 |
| University of South Carolina-Sumter | Sumter | Public | 716 | 74.1% | $42,437 |
| University of South Carolina-Lancaster | Lancaster | Public | 668 | 83.4% | $39,426 |
| Fortis College-Columbia | Columbia | Private For-Profit | 582 | — | $36,368 |
| Allen University | Columbia | Private Nonprofit | 576 | 72.5% | $30,497 |
| Denmark Technical College | Denmark | Public | 519 | — | $25,351 |
| South University-Columbia | Columbia | Private For-Profit | 450 | — | $34,421 |
| Williamsburg Technical College | Kingstree | Public | 448 | — | $29,935 |
| Voorhees University | Denmark | Private Nonprofit | 440 | — | $35,339 |
| Morris College | Sumter | Private Nonprofit | 383 | — | $30,614 |
| Southeastern Esthetics Institute | Elgin | Private For-Profit | 358 | — | — |
| Medical University of South Carolina | Charleston | Public | 303 | — | $88,420 |
| University of South Carolina-Salkehatchie | Allendale | Public | 271 | 76.0% | $31,360 |
| University of South Carolina-Union | Union | Public | 270 | 62.2% | $33,699 |
| Southeastern College-Columbia | Columbia | Private For-Profit | 267 | 97.3% | $31,156 |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Charleston | North Charleston | Private For-Profit | 264 | — | $26,696 |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Columbia | West Columbia | Private For-Profit | 256 | — | $26,696 |
| Southeastern College-Charleston | North Charleston | Private For-Profit | 225 | 98.1% | $30,737 |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Greenville | Greenville | Private For-Profit | 196 | — | $26,696 |
| Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Rock Hill | Rock Hill | Private For-Profit | 181 | — | $23,193 |
| Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Florence | Florence | Private For-Profit | 172 | — | $25,542 |
| Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Greenville | Greenville | Private For-Profit | 157 | — | $23,193 |
| American College of the Building Arts | Charleston | Private Nonprofit | 155 | 44.4% | — |
| Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Goose Creek | Goose Creek | Private For-Profit | 152 | — | $25,088 |
| Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology and Nails-Columbia | Columbia | Private For-Profit | 127 | — | $25,088 |
| Clinton College | Rock Hill | Private Nonprofit | 126 | — | $30,180 |
| Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-North Augusta | North Augusta | Private For-Profit | 118 | — | $25,542 |
| Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Spartanburg | Spartanburg | Private For-Profit | 113 | — | $25,088 |
| Charleston Cosmetology Institute | Charleston | Private For-Profit | 100 | — | $25,812 |
| Strand College of Hair Design | Myrtle Beach | Private For-Profit | 70 | — | $21,301 |
| Barber Tech Academy | Orangeburg | Private For-Profit | 59 | — | — |
| Academy of Hair Technology | Greenville | Private For-Profit | 58 | — | $22,893 |
| Barber Tech Academy-Columbia | Columbia | Private For-Profit | 51 | — | — |
| Top of the Line Barber College | Charleston | Private For-Profit | 45 | — | — |
| Academy for Careers and Technology | Mullins | Public | 37 | — | $46,553 |
| LeGrand Institute of Cosmetology Inc | Camden | Private For-Profit | 33 | — | $22,831 |
| Vski Cosmetology School | Charleston | Private Nonprofit | 31 | — | — |
| Personal Touch Beauty and Barber College | Kingstree | Private For-Profit | 7 | — | — |
| Sherman College of Chiropractic | Boiling Springs | Private Nonprofit | — | — | — |
| Charleston School of Law | Charleston | Private For-Profit | — | — | — |
| ECPI University-Greenville | Greenville | Private For-Profit | — | — | $42,837 |
| ECPI University-Charleston | North Charleston | Private For-Profit | — | — | $42,837 |
| ECPI University-Columbia | Columbia | Private For-Profit | — | — | $42,837 |
Featured Colleges in South Carolina
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About This Data
School data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS institutional characteristics files. Enrollment, admissions, and earnings figures are the most recently available. Earnings represent median income 10 years after enrollment for students who received federal financial aid, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal student aid applicants.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.