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Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in South Carolina

2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in South Carolina

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

14 Colleges
$15,517 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,250 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service School for You

Public Administration & Social Service is the #15 most popular major in South Carolina with 708 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in South Carolina ranking. Our analysis looked at 14 schools in South Carolina to see which programs offered the best value experiences for public administration and social service students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools

$5,356 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Horry-Georgetown Technical College to be the best value school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a degree in South Carolina. Horry-Georgetown Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Conway.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Horry-Georgetown Technical College are $5,356 a year. While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at Horry-Georgetown Technical College accumulate an average of around $27,431 in student debt.

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The excellent programs at Greenville Technical College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in South Carolina. GTC is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Greenville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GTC are $5,186 per year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from GTC carry an average student debtload of $27,184.

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#3

Clemson University

Clemson, SC
$15,558 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Clemson University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in South Carolina. Located in the suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Clemson are $15,558 a year.

Clemson did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in South Carolina list.

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#4

Piedmont Technical College

Greenwood, SC
$5,315 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 14 schools in South Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Piedmont Technical College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Piedmont Technical College is a small public school located in the town of Greenwood.

Piedmont Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,315 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at Piedmont Technical College take out is $25,500.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of South Carolina - Columbia is a great value for public administration and social service students. UofSC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Columbia.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UofSC are $12,688 per year. While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at UofSC accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

UofSC also claimed a spot on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in South Carolina list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

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$11,060 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, South Carolina State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students. South Carolina State University is a small public school located in the distant town of Orangeburg.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at South Carolina State University are $11,060 a year.

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#7

College of Charleston

Charleston, SC
$12,978 Average Tuition & Fees

College of Charleston came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in South Carolina ranking. C of C is a fairly large public school located in the city of Charleston.

C of C undergraduate students pay an average of $12,978 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, C of C also did well on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in South Carolina list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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#8

Winthrop University

Rock Hill, SC

With a ranking of #8, Winthrop University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the city of Rock Hill, Winthrop is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Winthrop undergraduate students pay an average of $15,846 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from Winthrop carry an average student debtload of $27,747. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $344.

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#9

Columbia College

Columbia, SC
$18,218 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Columbia College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the medium-sized city of Columbia, Columbia College South Carolina is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Columbia College South Carolina undergraduate students pay an average of $18,218 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at Columbia College South Carolina take out an average of $34,292 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#10

Limestone College

Gaffney, SC

With a ranking of #10, Limestone College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the fringe town of Gaffney, Limestone College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Limestone College undergraduate students pay an average of $26,300 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that public administration and social service majors at Limestone College take out is $42,000.

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Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 2,840
West Virginia 504
Mississippi 752
Florida 4,199
Virginia 2,154
Arkansas 683
Alabama 1,668
Kentucky 2,072
Georgia 1,475
Tennessee 1,564
Louisiana 1,118

Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 58,326
Public Administration 16,905
Human Services 13,238
Public Policy 6,430
Community Organization & Advocacy 3,096
Other Public Administration 588

Related Major Annual Graduates
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting 142,610
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 73,813
Legal Professions 61,055
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 4,477

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 14 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to University of the Fraser Valley.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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