South Carolina has 94 colleges including 45 four-year colleges, 25 community colleges, and 24 trade schools. By control type, 34 schools are public and 60 schools are private. 260,683 students enrolled in South Carolina colleges according to IPEDS.
For 4-year colleges, commonly said to as colleges, there are 45 schools are active in South Carolina (14 public and 31 private). 179,545 students enrolled in the schools, by gender, 72,902 men and 106,643 women students.
These colleges have an average acceptance rate of 73.83% and an average SAT score of 1,160. The average tuition & fees for in-state students is $12,159 and for out-of-state students is $27,436. The average enrollment is about 3,990 students per college. On average, each college offers about 69 programs.
8 Prominent South Carolina Colleges
The following table lists major colleges in South Carolina that have high enrollment, good academic reputation, and recognized by South Carolina residents. It includes 3 public institutions and 5 private institutions.
South Carolina Major Colleges by Region| Region | Prominent Institutions |
|---|
| Columbia Area | University of South Carolina-Columbia (Columbia) |
|---|
| Charleston Area | College of Charleston (Charleston), The Citadel (Charleston) |
|---|
| Upstate | Clemson University (Clemson), Furman University (Greenville) |
|---|
University of South Carolina-Columbia, located in Columbia, is generally considered the flagship institution in South Carolina. It offers wide range of programs in both undergraduate and graduate levels, including 187 graduate programs and 26 online programs. Its total enrollment is approximately 38,532 including 3,519 online students.
University of South Carolina-Columbia has the highest enrollment among these colleges, with a student population of 38,532 students. It offers the largest number of programs of 324.
Of the major colleges in South Carolina, 1 law schools and 1 medical schools are affiliated with these colleges. University of South Carolina-Columbia has both a law school and a medical school. You can check the law schools and medical schools in the table below.
Notable public institutions
Prominent private institutions