University of South Carolina - Columbia Overview
University of South Carolina - Columbia is a public institution situated in Columbia, South Carolina. The city atmosphere of Columbia makes it a great place for students who enjoy having lots of educational and entertainment options.
What Is University of South Carolina - Columbia Known For?
- Students at UofSC have an easier time paying back their loans. The school's student loan default rate is only 3%, compared to the national rate of 10.1%.
- The highest award offered at UofSC is the doctor's degree.
- For the 2017-2018 academic year, 72% of the faculty were full-time.
- Students who graduate from UofSC with a bachelor's degree make about $44,900 a year. That's 10% more than those who graduate from other schools.
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University of South Carolina - Columbia Rankings
Out of the 34 colleges in South Carolina, UofSC is ranked at #4.
Our rankings are based on an outcomes-based approach rather than subjective ones used by other media outlets. As such, we utilize data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard, among other sources. Visit our rankings and methodology section to learn more.
UofSC has been awarded the following overall awards by our latest rankings.
Rank | Ranking Name | Share |
---|---|---|
#24 | Most Popular Online Doctor’s Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#38 | Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#44 | Most Popular Graduate Certificate Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#48 | Most Popular Bachelor’s Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#106 | Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
Program Level Awards
These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at UofSC.
Awards From Around the Web
The following table lists some notable awards UofSC has earned from around the web.
Rank | Ranking Name | Source |
---|---|---|
#2 | Best Colleges for International Business | College Factual |
#7 | Best Colleges for Music | College Factual |
#10 | Best Colleges for Business, Management & Marketing | College Factual |
#12 | Best Colleges for Health & Physical Education | College Factual |
#25 | Best Colleges for Communication & Journalism | College Factual |
#153 | Best Nursing Schools | Nursing Degree Search |
Where Is University of South Carolina - Columbia?

Contact details for UofSC are given below.
Contact Details | |
---|---|
Address: | Columbia-Campus, Columbia, SC 29208 |
Phone: | 803-777-7000 |
Website: | www.sc.edu/ |
Facebook: | https://www.facebook.com/uofsc |
Twitter: | https://twitter.com/UofSC |
How Do I Get Into UofSC?
You can apply to UofSC online at: www.sc.edu/apply/index.php
Admission Requirements for UofSC
Submission | Required? |
---|---|
High School GPA | required |
High School Rank | recommended |
High School Transcript | required |
College Prep Program | required |
Recommendations | neither required nor recommended |
SAT or ACT Scores | required |
TOEFL | required |
How Hard Is It To Get Into UofSC?
Approximately 41% of accepted students are men and 59% are women. The acceptance rate for men is 73%, and the acceptance rate for women is 72%.
Average Test Scores
About 47% of students accepted to UofSC submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 590 and 660. Math scores were between 580 and 670.
Can I Afford University of South Carolina - Columbia?
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid.
Student Loan Debt
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At UofSC, approximately 49% of students took out student loans averaging $8,750 a year. That adds up to $35,000 over four years for those students.
The student loan default rate at UofSC is 3.3%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.
University of South Carolina - Columbia Undergraduate Student Diversity

There are also 7,862 graduate students at the school.
Gender Diversity
Of the 26,400 full-time undergraduates at UofSC, 46% are male and 54% are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity
The racial-ethnic breakdown of University of South Carolina - Columbia students is as follows.

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 892 |
Black or African American | 2,102 |
Hispanic or Latino | 1,302 |
White | 19,861 |
International Students | 933 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 1,310 |
Geographic Diversity
South Carolina students aren't the only ones who study at University of South Carolina - Columbia. At this time, 44 states are represented by the student population at the school.
Over 108 countries are represented at UofSC. The most popular countries sending students to the school are China, India, and Saudi Arabia.
Online Learning at University of South Carolina - Columbia
The following chart shows how the online learning population at UofSC has changed over the last few years.

This school is the 2nd most popular in South Carolina for online learning according to the online graduations recorded by the Department of Education for the academic year 2017-2018.
Online Growth Rankings of UofSC
The average growth rate over the last four years of online students at University of South Carolina - Columbia was 612.6%. This is the #133 largest growth rate of all schools that are only partially online. This refers to all students at UofSC regardless of major.
The following table shows the 1-year growth rate of UofSC majors that offer at least one online course. This table only includes majors with positive growth.
Major | 1-Year Growth Rate |
---|---|
Civil Engineering | 1% |
Communication & Journalism | 10% |
Computer & Information Sciences | 18% |
Computer Science | 68% |
Curriculum & Instruction | 51% |
Electrical Engineering | 5% |
Engineering | 2% |
Engineering Technologies | 8% |
Engineering-Related Fields | 8% |
Health Professions | 7% |
Journalism | 21% |
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities | 5% |
Liberal Arts General Studies | 5% |
Library & Information Science | 6% |
Library Science | 6% |
Management Information Systems | 5% |
Mechanical Engineering | 10% |
Nursing | 13% |
Public Health | 5% |
Statistics | 16% |
The table below shows how the average growth rate over 4 years at UofSC ranks compared to all other partially online schools that offer a specific major. Note that the majors may or may not be offered online at UofSC.
When we speak of partially online, we are referring to schools whose online population is less than 50% of its total student body. Mostly online refers to those with online populations greater than or equal to 50%.
University of South Carolina - Columbia Undergraduate Concentrations
The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics
- Image Credit: By Idibri under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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