Best Community Colleges in South Carolina 2023
The best community colleges provide an effective springboard into higher education, offering students high-quality two-year degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. The top-rated community colleges in South Carolina offer a broad selection of associate’s degrees, affordable tuition rates, and strong partnerships with public four-year schools so that students can easily transfer their credits into accredited bachelor’s degree programs.
10 Best Community Colleges in South Carolina
- Trident Technical College 20 to 1
- York Technical College 19 to 1
- Midlands Technical College 19 to 1
- Tri-County Technical College 18 to 1
- Piedmont Technical College 17 to 1
- Aiken Technical College 11 to 1
- Greenville Technical College 14 to 1
- York Technical College $4,776
- Aiken Technical College $4,896
Colleges and Universities in South Carolina
The 31 public schools range in tuition from $5,000 to $17,000. The largest institution, the University of South Carolina (U of SC), is right in the middle, totaling $11,000 for fees. Located in Columbia, U of SC has over 30,000 students in attendance and offers over 300 degree options. Aside from the technical and community colleges in the state, there are four universities under $10,000. At $17,000, the Medical University of South Carolina is the most expensive public school in the state.
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In addition, over 25 private schools, 17 with religious affiliations, offer academic settings with small student populations, none exceeding 3,500. Though it is the most expensive at $50,000, Furman University boasts an 84% graduation rate. With Methodist connections, Wofford College charges a tuition of $44,000, and it bears noting that the campus is situated on a national arboretum. The University of South Carolina School of Law is one of the nation’s oldest law schools and the state’s only nonprofit law school. Graduates of the school have the opportunity to receive financial assistance from the Public Interest Law Loan Forgiveness Fund if they are employed in the field of public interest law.
Along the 60-mile stretch of beaches in South Carolina is iconic Myrtle Beach, home to one of the world’s tallest Ferris wheels. Cypress swamps, military museums, and tea gardens add to the southern charm of this state. And with over 50 higher education institutions, students have plenty of options for where to earn their associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree.
Check out the top programs available, and earn your degree in The Palmetto State.
What are South Carolina’s Colleges & Universities?
- 2 Research Universities
- 31 Liberal Arts Colleges & Universities
- 11 Graduate Schools
- 12 Public Colleges & Universities
- 21 Private Colleges & Universities
- 16 Christian Colleges & Universities
- 27 Small Colleges & Universities (fewer than 5,000 students)
- 19 Affordable Colleges (below $20,000/year)
- 19 Community Colleges
- 21 Online Colleges
South Carolina’s Best Overall
We’ve identified 19 community colleges in South Carolina. The following list shows the best community colleges and primarily associate degree granting colleges in South Carolina.
Best Community Colleges in South Carolina
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
84%
Graduation
30%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1007/18
What is University of South Carolina Sumter known for?
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
88%
Graduation
22%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1000/18
What is University of South Carolina Lancaster known for?
University of South Carolina Lancaster’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
21%
Student body
8K
What is Trident Technical College known for?
Trident Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
89%
Graduation
31%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
925/16
What is University of South Carolina Union known for?
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
12%
Student body
1K
Tuition + fees
$18K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
41%
Student body
1K
What is Spartanburg Methodist College known for?
Spartanburg Methodist College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
36%
Student body
5K
What is Tri-County Technical College known for?
Tri-County Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
26%
Student body
3K
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
16%
Student body
2K
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
28%
Student body
3K
What is York Technical College known for?
York Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
15%
Student body
6K
What is Midlands Technical College known for?
Midlands Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
22%
Student body
1K
What is Aiken Technical College known for?
Aiken Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
24%
Student body
<1K
What is Denmark Technical College known for?
Denmark Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
14%
Student body
7K
What is Greenville Technical College known for?
Greenville Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
28%
Student body
5K
What is Horry-Georgetown Technical College known for?
Horry-Georgetown Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
28%
Student body
3K
What is Piedmont Technical College known for?
Piedmont Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
72%
Graduation
20%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
915/16
What is University of South Carolina Salkehatchie known for?
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
36%
Student body
<1K
What is Northeastern Technical College known for?
Northeastern Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
26%
Student body
2K
What is Orangeburg–Calhoun Technical College known for?
Orangeburg–Calhoun Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
2021 Ranking Archive
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.
- Spartanburg Methodist College
- Technical College of the Lowcountry
- Tri-County Technical College
- York Technical College
- Spartanburg Community College
- Florence–Darlington Technical College
- Midlands Technical College
- Horry-Georgetown Technical College
- University of South Carolina Salkehatchie
- Greenville Technical College
- Denmark Technical College
- Aiken Technical College
- Northeastern Technical College
- Piedmont Technical College
- Trident Technical College
- University of South Carolina Union
- Orangeburg–Calhoun Technical College
- University of South Carolina Lancaster
- University of South Carolina Sumter
