University of South Carolina-Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
- Public
- City
- 29,820 undergrads
- Admit rate
- 60%Source: College Scorecard
- Average net price
- $22,197per year, after grantsSource: College Scorecard
- Graduation rate
- 79%within 6 yearsSource: College Scorecard
- Median earnings
- $69,02410 years after startingSource: College Scorecard
What's special
The USC Commitment covers four years of tuition and academic fees for eligible in-state students.
Source: USC covering tuition, fees for talented students across the state
The Gamecock Guarantee covers undergraduate tuition, the technology fee and average program fees at USC Columbia for eligible students through grants and scholarships.
Getting in
- Admit rate
- 60%About 6 in 10 applicants get in.Source: College Scorecard
- Test policy
- Test-optionalScores are considered if you send them, but not required.Source: College Scorecard
- SAT (middle 50%)
- 1180–1360Reading + math, enrolled first-years who sent scoresSource: College Scorecard
- ACT (middle 50%)
- 26–32Composite, enrolled first-years who sent scoresSource: College Scorecard
Where you'd stand
Enter your numbers to see where they'd fall among University of South Carolina-Columbia's first-year students. This isn't a prediction: it shows how you compare with students who enrolled, using the sources linked below.
Leave out anything you don't have. Your numbers stay in this browser and fill in on other school pages. See my list
Sources: College Scorecard. Test ranges describe enrolled students who sent scores.
What it really costs
Most families pay less than the sticker price. Net price is what's left after grants and scholarships.
- Average net price
- $22,197full-time first-years who got grant aidSource: College Scorecard
- Total cost of attendance
- $32,193sticker price incl. housing, per yearSource: College Scorecard
- Tuition, in-state
- $12,688Source: College Scorecard
- Tuition, out-of-state
- $37,376Source: College Scorecard
After you enroll
- Graduation rate
- 79%first-time, full-time students finishing within 6 yearsSource: College Scorecard
- Came back for year two
- 92%full-time first-year studentsSource: College Scorecard
- Median earnings
- $69,02410 years after starting, for students who got federal aidSource: College Scorecard
- Median debt at graduation
- $20,500federal loans, students who finishedSource: College Scorecard
Students
- Undergraduates
- 29,820Source: College Scorecard
- Receive Pell grants
- 23%a sign of economic diversitySource: College Scorecard
- First-generation students
- 20%parents didn't go beyond high schoolSource: College Scorecard
Similar schools
Similar, and easier to get into
- University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH — admits 85%
- University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO — admits 78%
- Iowa State University Ames, IA — admits 89%
- Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN — admits 78%
Also worth a look
- University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA — admits 60%
- Clemson University Clemson, SC — admits 38%
- Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ — admits 58%
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA — admits 55%
- Oregon State University Corvallis, OR — admits 77%
- Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX — admits 73%
Where these numbers come from
Every number on this page comes from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard page for University of South Carolina-Columbia, which draws on what the school reports to the federal government and on federal student aid and tax records. We last pulled the data on November 4, 2026. Different measures cover different years; here's how each one works.
Spot something wrong? Report a data error.