University of South Carolina-Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina · Website
$62,177
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$62,177
median earnings, 10 years after starting
University of South Carolina-Columbia is a public 4-year college in Columbia, South Carolina with 29,820 undergraduates and 8,345 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $22,811 a year (tuition and fees $12,688 in-state, $35,972 out-of-state). It admits 60% of applicants and 79% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $62,177 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $21,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$22,811
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$12,688
Out-of-state $35,972
Admission rate
60%
US median 78%
Completion rate
79%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$21,500
About $228 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$62,177
Rank 679 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $22,811
- Tuition in-state
- $12,688
- Tuition out-of-state
- $35,972
- Cost of attendance
- $31,638
- Students with a need-based grant
- 19%
- Students with federal loans
- 41%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $12,634
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $14,953
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $19,859
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $24,478
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $28,125
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $11,482 in 2015-16 to $12,688 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 60%
- Average SAT
- 1,297
- SAT reading, middle
- 630
- SAT math, middle
- 625
- ACT, middle
- 29
- Undergraduates
- 29,820
- Graduate students
- 8,345
- Part-time students
- 2.7%
- Women
- 59%
- Students per teacher
- 19
- Completion rate
- 79%
- Retention rate
- 92%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 248
- Endowment
- $776.5M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 679 of 5,094 US colleges and 6 of 78 in South Carolina (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | SC median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $22,811 | $16,583 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $12,688 | $12,978 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 60% | 75% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 79% | 46% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 92% | 69% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $21,500 | $15,392 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $50,621 | $33,444 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $62,177 | $38,826 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 67% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 80% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
248 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 597 | $23,250 | $62,231 | $92,578 | $83,343 |
| Public HealthBachelor's | Bachelor's | 435 | $21,500 | $31,756 | $58,715 | $58,808 |
| Research and Experimental PsychologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 405 | $21,500 | $29,350 | $51,090 | $55,695 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 390 | $21,500 | $28,035 | $58,669 | $57,214 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 367 | $23,250 | $52,374 | $81,945 | $69,303 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 296 | $21,500 | $40,702 | $67,705 | $54,562 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 262 | $22,497 | $47,993 | $70,527 | $68,257 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 241 | $23,375 | $73,872 | $80,768 | $88,910 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 239 | $23,250 | $68,597 | $84,720 | $92,374 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 223 | $20,500 | $35,781 | $50,847 | $55,378 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 217 | $22,497 | $68,804 | $98,020 | $86,176 |
| LawProfessional | Professional | 215 | $115,354 | $59,216 | $93,806 | $107,773 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 210 | $21,500 | $33,157 | $65,464 | $63,293 |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 190 | $23,250 | $27,374 | $63,534 | $62,172 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 183 | $22,990 | $42,974 | $65,248 | $63,560 |
| MedicineProfessional | Professional | 183 | $210,899 | $61,512 | $130,641 | $112,460 |
| International BusinessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 175 | $25,174 | $70,992 | $107,205 | $73,201 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 173 | $41,000 | $118,109 | $138,445 | $103,485 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 171 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Social WorkMaster's | Master's | 167 | $41,000 | $42,849 | $56,741 | $65,123 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 166 | $22,750 | $72,370 | $91,296 | $92,135 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's | Master's | 161 | $44,143 | $105,149 | $123,101 | $120,193 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 155 | $25,283 | $59,283 | $86,507 | $76,194 |
| Hospitality Administration/ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 150 | $21,500 | $36,690 | $56,688 | $56,726 |
| General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 147 | $23,250 | $45,052 | $64,631 | $75,399 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: South Carolina on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in South Carolina
- Homes: Homes for sale in South Carolina
Questions and answers
How much does University of South Carolina-Columbia cost?
$22,811 a year is the average net price at University of South Carolina-Columbia after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $12,688 for in-state students and $35,972 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $31,638. Families earning under $30,000 pay $12,634 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at University of South Carolina-Columbia?
60% of applicants are admitted to University of South Carolina-Columbia. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,297 and the middle ACT score is 29. The median admission rate of colleges in South Carolina is 75%.
How much do University of South Carolina-Columbia graduates earn?
$62,177 a year is the median pay of former University of South Carolina-Columbia students who work, 10 years after they started ($50,621 after 6 years). That ranks 679 of 5,094 US colleges and 6 of 78 in South Carolina. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate certificate) at $136,145.
How much student debt do University of South Carolina-Columbia graduates have?
$21,500 is the median federal student loan debt of University of South Carolina-Columbia graduates, about $228 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 41% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at University of South Carolina-Columbia?
79% of first-time, full-time students at University of South Carolina-Columbia finish within 6 years. 92% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at University of South Carolina-Columbia?
Finance and Financial Management Services (597 bachelor's graduates), Public Health (435 bachelor's graduates), Research and Experimental Psychology (405 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 248 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.