University of South Carolina-Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina · Public · 4-year · City
Official websiteAt a glance
- Average net price
- $22,811What students typically pay per year after grants and scholarships.
- Acceptance rate
- 60%
- Graduation rate
- 78%Share of students who finish within 150% of the normal time.
- Undergraduates
- 29,820
- In-state tuition
- $12,688Published price before aid.
- Out-of-state tuition
- $35,972
- SAT midpoint
- 1,255
- Median earnings, 10 yrs
- $62,177Median earnings of former students ten years after they first enrolled.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Data year: 2022-23 academic year. Updated September 2026. Figures are averages across all students and will differ from what any individual pays.
How it compares to similar colleges
Each rating covers one measure against public 4-year colleges nationally. Five stars means the top fifth on that measure. There is no overall score, because which of these matters is your call.
Affordability
$22,8111/5
Better than 5% of public 4-year colleges (565 compared).
Completion
78%5/5
Better than 91% of public 4-year colleges (566 compared).
Earnings
$62,1774/5
Better than 71% of public 4-year colleges (590 compared).
Debt at graduation
$21,5002/5
Better than 40% of public 4-year colleges (588 compared).
What these ratings are based on
- Affordability
- Based on average net price: what students receiving federal aid actually paid, after grants and scholarships. Your own cost depends on your family's finances.
- Completion
- Based on the share of first-time, full-time students who graduate within 150% of normal time. It excludes transfer and part-time students, which understates colleges serving many of them.
- Earnings
- Based on median earnings ten years after students first enrolled. It reflects the subjects a college teaches and the region it sits in as much as its teaching.
- Debt at graduation
- Based on median federal loan debt among students who completed. Private and parent loans are not included, so real totals are often higher.
- Why there is no rating for selectivity
- A lower acceptance rate is selectivity, not quality. Awarding stars for it would be us inventing a value judgement and hiding it behind a number.
What it actually costs
Published cost
$31,638
The sticker price: tuition, fees, housing, food and books for one academic year, before any aid.
Average net price
$22,811
What students receiving federal aid actually paid on average, after grants and scholarships. This is the more useful number, though your own figure depends on your family’s finances.
Outcomes
| Graduation rateWithin 150% of normal time | 78% |
|---|---|
| Retention rateFirst-year students who return | 92% |
| Median debt at graduationFederal loans only, students who completed | $21,500 |
| Median earnings, 10 years after entryFormer students, working and not enrolled | $62,177 |
What graduates of each major earn
Median earnings one year after finishing, for people who took that subject here. This is the figure a college-wide median hides: the spread between subjects at one college is usually far wider than the spread between colleges.
| Major | Earnings, 1 yr | Degrees awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | $77,161 | 42 |
| Chemical Engineering | $75,680 | 58 |
| Computer Engineering | $73,982 | 29 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $73,872 | 241 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $72,370 | 166 |
| International Business | $70,992 | 175 |
| Statistics | $69,543 | 23 |
| Civil Engineering | $69,424 | 82 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $68,804 | 217 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | $68,597 | 239 |
| Insurance | $63,417 | 109 |
| Business/Managerial Economics | $62,692 | 64 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | $62,231 | 597 |
| Accounting and Related Services | $59,283 | 155 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | $57,311 | 38 |
| Marketing | $52,374 | 367 |
| Real Estate | $51,965 | 75 |
| Mathematics | $49,949 | 46 |
| Economics | $48,149 | 73 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $47,993 | 262 |
| Geography and Cartography | $46,929 | 20 |
| General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations | $45,052 | 147 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | $44,919 | 23 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | $42,974 | 183 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $40,785 | 146 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | $40,702 | 296 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | $40,596 | 11 |
| Chemistry | $39,018 | 36 |
| Journalism | $38,762 | 81 |
| Music | $38,657 | 59 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | $38,432 | 27 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | $36,690 | 150 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $35,781 | 223 |
| Communication and Media Studies | $35,586 | 89 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | $35,081 | 75 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | $33,941 | 63 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | $33,612 | 40 |
| Dance | $33,291 | 15 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | $33,245 | 136 |
| Political Science and Government | $33,157 | 210 |
| Area Studies | $32,064 | 34 |
| Public Health | $31,756 | 435 |
| Philosophy | $30,936 | 22 |
| Sociology | $30,517 | 33 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | $29,350 | 405 |
| Biology, General | $28,035 | 390 |
| Social Work | $28,032 | 40 |
| History | $27,652 | 61 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | $27,467 | 60 |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | $27,374 | 190 |
| English Language and Literature, General | $25,729 | 60 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | $25,271 | 46 |
| Anthropology | $23,785 | 29 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | $23,763 | 81 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | $23,686 | 88 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | $21,411 | 22 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | Not reported | 82 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | Not reported | 27 |
| Information Science/Studies | Not reported | 22 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Not reported | 13 |
| Physics | Not reported | 9 |
| Religion/Religious Studies | Not reported | 8 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | Not reported | 8 |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Not reported | 6 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | Not reported | 4 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | Not reported | 4 |
| Security Science and Technology | Not reported | 3 |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Not reported | 2 |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Not reported | 2 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | Not reported | 1 |
| Computational Science | Not reported | Not reported |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | Not reported | Not reported |
| Applied Mathematics | Not reported | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Not reported | Not reported |
| Medical Illustration and Informatics | Not reported | Not reported |
| Engineering-Related Fields | Not reported | Not reported |
| Social Sciences, General | Not reported | Not reported |
All 77 bachelor’s programs this college reported.
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