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Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in South Carolina

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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.

2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in South Carolina

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges.

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools

$5,356 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Horry-Georgetown Technical College the best value school in South Carolina for public administration and social service students. Horry-Georgetown Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Conway.

Horry-Georgetown Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,356 in in-state tuition and fees each 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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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Greenville Technical College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in South Carolina list. GTC is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Greenville.

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

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Greenville Technical College

#3

Clemson University

Clemson, SC
$15,558 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 14 schools in South Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Clemson University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public college with a very large student population.

Clemson undergraduate students pay an average of $15,558 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Clemson not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in South Carolina list.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Clemson University

#4

Piedmont Technical College

Greenwood, SC
$5,315 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Piedmont Technical College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in South Carolina list. Piedmont Technical College is a small public school located in the town of Greenwood.

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

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Piedmont Technical College

Out of the 14 schools in South Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of South Carolina - Columbia landed the # 5 spot on the list. UofSC is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.

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

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UofSC also is in the top 15% of our Best Public & Social Service Schools in South Carolina ranking.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of South Carolina - Columbia

$11,060 Average Tuition & Fees

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

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at South Carolina State University are $11,060 per year.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at South Carolina State University

#7

College of Charleston

Charleston, SC
$12,978 Average Tuition & Fees

College of Charleston ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in South Carolina list. C of C is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Charleston.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at C of C are $12,978 per 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.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at College of Charleston

#8

Winthrop University

Rock Hill, SC

Winthrop University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the small city of Rock Hill, Winthrop is a public school with a medium-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 college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Columbia College South Carolina are $18,218 per 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

Limestone College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in South Carolina ranking. 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.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Limestone College

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

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

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

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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