Largest South Carolina Colleges

In South Carolina, there are a total of 260,683 students enrolled in higher education institutions. Of these, 213,613 attend public colleges and universities, while 47,070 are enrolled in private institutions. This comprehensive overview highlights the scale and diversity of college enrollment in South Carolina, helping prospective students and families understand their options among the largest educational institutions.

Explore Largest South Carolina Colleges with the Most Students, where 38,532 students are enrolled at University of South Carolina-Columbia, making it the largest institution in terms of enrollment.

Following closely, Clemson University ranks second with 29,077 students, while Greenville Technical College holds the third spot at 11,999. These institutions set the benchmark for large-scale education.

The average undergraduate tuition & fees of the schools is $28,544 and graduate tuition & fees is $22,710 for the academic year 2024-2025.

At these High Enrollment South Carolina Colleges, the average acceptance rate is 66.97%, and the average SAT score is 1,154, making them not only cost-effective but also accessible options for a wide range of students.

Our analysis includes colleges with at least 1,000 total enrollments and excludes online universities to provide a balanced overview. For a comprehensive list of online universities, visit the largest South Carolina online colleges.

Comparison between Largest South Carolina Colleges With The Most Students

Table. Largest South Carolina Colleges With The Most Students Comparison
School NameTotal PopulationUndergraduateGraduateMenWomenOnline Enrollment
1
-
University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SCPublic, 4-year 38,532
1,953
30,187
(78.34%)
8,345
(21.66%)
15,466
(40.14%)
23,066
(59.86%)
3,519
(9.13%)
2
-
Clemson University Clemson, SCPublic, 4-year 29,077
330
23,401
(80.48%)
5,676
(19.52%)
13,430
(46.19%)
15,647
(53.81%)
2,046
(7.04%)
3
2
Greenville Technical College Greenville, SCPublic, 4-year 11,999
1,338
11,999
(100.00%)
-
(-0.01%)
4,864
(40.54%)
7,135
(59.46%)
3,774
(31.45%)
4
1
College of Charleston Charleston, SCPublic, 4-year 11,926
197
10,880
(91.23%)
1,046
(8.77%)
3,770
(31.61%)
8,156
(68.39%)
826
(6.93%)
5
1
Coastal Carolina University Conway, SCPublic, 4-year 11,348
519
10,811
(95.27%)
537
(4.73%)
4,938
(43.51%)
6,410
(56.49%)
526
(4.64%)
6
-
University of South Carolina-Upstate Spartanburg, SCPublic, 4-year 4,916
30
4,487
(91.27%)
429
(8.73%)
1,624
(33.03%)
3,292
(66.97%)
1,163
(23.66%)
7
-
Winthrop University Rock Hill, SCPublic, 4-year 4,894
200
3,969
(81.10%)
925
(18.90%)
1,566
(32.00%)
3,328
(68.00%)
831
(16.98%)
8
1
Anderson University Anderson, SCPrivate, 4-year 4,710
385
3,683
(78.20%)
1,027
(21.80%)
1,955
(41.51%)
2,755
(58.49%)
615
(13.06%)
9
1
Lander University Greenwood, SCPublic, 4-year 4,378
15
3,776
(86.25%)
602
(13.75%)
1,410
(32.21%)
2,968
(67.79%)
1,004
(22.93%)
10
-
Francis Marion University Florence, SCPublic, 4-year 4,112
95
3,692
(89.79%)
420
(10.21%)
1,374
(33.41%)
2,738
(66.59%)
808
(19.65%)
Average12,58910,689
(84.90%)
2,112
(16.78%)
5,040
(40.03%)
7,550
(59.97%)
1,511
(12.00%)