Is a research university right for me?–

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students. Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines. Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you? If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel. Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well. Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Is an online college right for me?–

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available. Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degrees you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no distinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online. Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whether you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college. Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands. Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain. Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands of balancing work and life, or because the online college affords them the chance to attend a better school without moving. If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are asynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc. The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors. Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions. If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in South Carolina 2024

Q: Is a liberal arts college right for me?–

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students. Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom). Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships and make walks across campus more fun. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers. Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Badge for BEST IN SOUTH CAROLINA LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES

By Dr. James Barham

Published: May 4, 2021
Updated: Oct 26, 2023

Liberal arts colleges are a great option for students seeking a well-rounded education in an intimate campus setting. The best liberal arts colleges in South Carolina offer a diverse selection of degree programs with opportunities for a highly individualized educational experience.

10 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in South Carolina

College of Charleston
Furman University
Coastal Carolina University
Wofford College
Bob Jones University
The Citadel
Lander University
South Carolina State University
Winthrop University
Francis Marion University

Furman University
College of Charleston
Bob Jones University
The Citadel
Coastal Carolina University
South Carolina State University
Wofford College
Winthrop University
Erskine College
Francis Marion University

The Citadel 99%
Charleston Southern University 87%
South Carolina State University 84%
Francis Marion University 83%
University of South Carolina Beaufort 80%
Coastal Carolina University 79%
University of South Carolina Upstate 79%
Claflin University 78%
College of Charleston 76%
University of South Carolina Aiken 76%

South Carolina State University 17 to 1
Benedict College 17 to 1
Coastal Carolina University 16 to 1
Lander University 16 to 1
College of Charleston 16 to 1
University of South Carolina Aiken 15 to 1
University of South Carolina Upstate 15 to 1
Allen University 15 to 1
Erskine College 15 to 1
University of South Carolina Beaufort 14 to 1

Furman University $55,772
Wofford College $51,530
Presbyterian College $41,900
Erskine College $36,710
Anderson University $31,720
Charleston Southern University $29,990
Newberry College $29,100
Southern Wesleyan University $27,820
North Greenville University $23,590
Bob Jones University $21,890

Presbyterian College $47,728
Winthrop University $15,626
College of Charleston $13,770
University of South Carolina Aiken $13,734
University of South Carolina Upstate $13,734
University of South Carolina Beaufort $13,734
Erskine College $13,400
Furman University $12,233
North Greenville University $12,220
Benedict College $12,120

Morris College
Southern Wesleyan University
Charleston Southern University
Claflin University
University of South Carolina Beaufort
North Greenville University
Newberry College
University of South Carolina Upstate
Converse University
Presbyterian College

University of South Carolina Beaufort
University of South Carolina Aiken
Southern Wesleyan University
Morris College
North Greenville University
Converse University
Newberry College
Lander University
Allen University
University of South Carolina Upstate

Allen University 43%
Anderson University 45%
Southern Wesleyan University 51%
Erskine College 53%
Converse University 56%
Presbyterian College 59%
Wofford College 60%
Furman University 67%
Lander University 67%
Benedict College 68%

Converse University 9 to 1
Furman University 9 to 1
Morris College 10 to 1
Wofford College 11 to 1
Presbyterian College 11 to 1
The Citadel 11 to 1
Southern Wesleyan University 12 to 1
Charleston Southern University 12 to 1
Winthrop University 12 to 1
Bob Jones University 12 to 1

The Citadel $8,356
South Carolina State University $9,528
University of South Carolina Beaufort $10,344
Francis Marion University $10,384
University of South Carolina Aiken $10,398
Lander University $10,700
University of South Carolina Upstate $11,208
Coastal Carolina University $11,460
College of Charleston $12,518
Allen University $13,422

Charleston Southern University $5,085
Newberry College $5,940
Converse University $7,650
Allen University $8,100
Lander University $9,810
South Carolina State University $9,928
Anderson University $10,395
Claflin University $10,530
Francis Marion University $10,612
Coastal Carolina University $10,674

Table of Contents

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.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

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?

South Carolina’s Best Overall

How do we determine South Carolina's best colleges and universities?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

A liberal arts college is a school that puts a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. We’ve identified 31 liberal arts colleges in South Carolina. To be ranked among the best liberal arts colleges in South Carolina, schools must fully accredited institutions.

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in South Carolina 2023

South Carolina’s Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Your Area of Interest

Frequently Asked Questions About Research Universities, Liberal Arts Colleges, Online Colleges

In pursuing a bachelor’s degree, you will need to choose between three kinds of schools: research universities, liberal arts colleges, and online colleges.

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students.

Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines.

Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you? If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel.

Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well.
Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Learn more about research universities by reading about the best research universities in the US.

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree.

Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students.

Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom).

Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships and make walks across campus more fun. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers.

Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Learn more about liberal arts colleges by reading about the best liberal arts colleges in the US.

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available.

Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degrees you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no distinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online.

Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whether you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college.

Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands.

Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain.

Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands of balancing work and life, or because the online college affords them the chance to attend a better school without moving.

If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are asynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc.

The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors.

Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions.

If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2024 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2023. That’s because we took a fundamentally different approach. For 2024 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.

Check out our directory of liberal arts colleges throughout the U.S. for a look at the top liberal arts schools in every state.

Do you have a question about this topic? Ask it here

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in South Carolina 2024

10 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in South Carolina

Colleges and Universities in South Carolina

What are South Carolina’s Colleges & Universities?

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in South Carolina 2023

Career Outlook for degree at College of Charleston

Most Influential Alumni

College of Charleston’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Furman University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Coastal Carolina University

Most Influential Alumni

Coastal Carolina University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Wofford College

Most Influential Alumni

Most Influential Alumni

Bob Jones University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at The Citadel

Most Influential Alumni

The Citadel’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Lander University

Most Influential Alumni

Lander University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at South Carolina State University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Winthrop University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Francis Marion University

Most Influential Alumni

Francis Marion University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at University of South Carolina Aiken

Most Influential Alumni

University of South Carolina Aiken’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Anderson University, South Carolina

Most Influential Alumni

Anderson University, South Carolina’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Erskine College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Allen University

Career Outlook for degree at Benedict College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Presbyterian College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Converse University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of South Carolina Upstate

Career Outlook for degree at Newberry College

Most Influential Alumni

Newberry College’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at North Greenville University

North Greenville University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at University of South Carolina Beaufort

University of South Carolina Beaufort’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Claflin University

Most Influential Alumni

Claflin University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Charleston Southern University

Most Influential Alumni

Charleston Southern University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Southern Wesleyan University

Most Influential Alumni

Southern Wesleyan University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Morris College

South Carolina’s Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Your Area of Interest