2022 best colleges in South Carolina
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Net cost: The median annual cost of all students that receive any aid. This does not refer to the “sticker price”, the price listed by the college.
Earnings: The median earnings of all bachelor-level students 10 years after enrollment. This includes both students that do and do not graduate, across all majors.
Payback: The amount of time in years it takes to pay off the median net cost by the median earnings. For this calculation, the median earning of high school graduates (in the school’s home state) are deducted from the median earnings.
Degree premium: The difference between the school’s median earnings and the median earnings for all schools in the same state. This is called “Vs. state average” in school profiles below.
Ranking: The payback rate is divided by the degree premium (set as a percentage), the lower the number the higher the rank. (i.e. payback=1, degree premium 20% higher than state school median: 1/120% = .883.
Citadel Military College of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Admission rate: 80%
Grad rate: 73%
Net cost: $18,548
Payback: 1.7 Years
Earnings: $67,770
Vs. state average: + $23,485
Economic score: 1.11
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina
Admission rate: 62%
Grad rate: 82%
Net cost: $20,008
Payback: 2.1 Years
Earnings: $63,857
Vs. state average: + $19,572
Economic score: 1.44
Wofford College
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Admission rate: 53%
Grad rate: 82%
Net cost: $25,674
Payback: 2.3 Years
Earnings: $67,530
Vs. state average: + $23,245
Economic score: 1.50
University of South Carolina-Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
Admission rate: 69%
Grad rate: 75%
Net cost: $20,509
Payback: 2.7 Years
Earnings: $54,109
Vs. state average: + $9,824
Economic score: 2.21
College of Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Admission rate: 75%
Grad rate: 69%
Net cost: $19,000
Payback: 2.9 Years
Earnings: $49,534
Vs. state average: + $5,249
Economic score: 2.62
Coastal Carolina University
Conway, South Carolina
Admission rate: 71%
Grad rate: 49%
Net cost: $14,749
Payback: 2.9 Years
Earnings: $44,305
Vs. state average: + $20
Economic score: 2.94
Bob Jones University
Greenville, South Carolina
Admission rate: N/A
Grad rate: 60%
Net cost: $12,923
Payback: 2.9 Years
Earnings: $40,853
Vs. state average: - $3,432
Economic score: 3.10
University of South Carolina Aiken
Aiken, South Carolina
Admission rate: 56%
Grad rate: 45%
Net cost: $15,050
Payback: 3.1 Years
Earnings: $44,741
Vs. state average: + $456
Economic score: 3.12
Presbyterian College
Clinton, South Carolina
Admission rate: 71%
Grad rate: 66%
Net cost: $19,152
Payback: 3.6 Years
Earnings: $49,050
Vs. state average: + $4,765
Economic score: 3.27
Furman University
Greenville, South Carolina
Admission rate: 66%
Grad rate: 79%
Net cost: $30,861
Payback: 4.3 Years
Earnings: $58,343
Vs. state average: + $14,058
Economic score: 3.30
Lander University
Greenwood, South Carolina
Admission rate: 58%
Grad rate: 46%
Net cost: $12,981
Payback: 3.1 Years
Earnings: $41,049
Vs. state average: - $3,236
Economic score: 3.33
University of South Carolina-Upstate
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Admission rate: 60%
Grad rate: 55%
Net cost: $15,832
Payback: 3.5 Years
Earnings: $42,949
Vs. state average: - $1,336
Economic score: 3.59
Southern Wesleyan University
Central, South Carolina
Admission rate: 56%
Grad rate: 56%
Net cost: $17,750
Payback: 3.8 Years
Earnings: $41,792
Vs. state average: - $2,493
Economic score: 4.00
Winthrop University
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Admission rate: 64%
Grad rate: 56%
Net cost: $19,047
Payback: 4.2 Years
Earnings: $41,504
Vs. state average: - $2,781
Economic score: 4.53
Converse College
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Admission rate: 83%
Grad rate: 57%
Net cost: $12,685
Payback: 4.0 Years
Earnings: $38,109
Vs. state average: - $6,176
Economic score: 4.69
Coker University
Hartsville, South Carolina
Admission rate: 94%
Grad rate: 46%
Net cost: $13,472
Payback: 4.0 Years
Earnings: $36,437
Vs. state average: - $7,848
Economic score: 4.86
Newberry College
Newberry, South Carolina
Admission rate: 57%
Grad rate: 52%
Net cost: $19,539
Payback: 5.3 Years
Earnings: $40,867
Vs. state average: - $3,418
Economic score: 5.75
North Greenville University
Tigerville, South Carolina
Admission rate: 66%
Grad rate: 64%
Net cost: $22,058
Payback: 5.2 Years
Earnings: $40,031
Vs. state average: - $4,254
Economic score: 5.80
Anderson University
Anderson, South Carolina
Admission rate: 60%
Grad rate: 56%
Net cost: $21,756
Payback: 5.3 Years
Earnings: $39,593
Vs. state average: - $4,692
Economic score: 5.89
Limestone University
Gaffney, South Carolina
Admission rate: 69%
Grad rate: 47%
Net cost: $22,707
Payback: 6.6 Years
Earnings: $39,684
Vs. state average: - $4,601
Economic score: 7.35
