Private colleges, unlike large public institutions, can be a great option for students wanting a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Here is our list of the best private colleges 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.
Public and private colleges and universities operate under different business models — one is a private company with private funding; the other is owned by the state and receives both state and federal funding to operate. If you’re weighing the pros and cons of private vs. public college, consider that many public colleges provide diverse course offerings, influential professors, and an excellent return on your investment.
Public colleges are schools that receive most of their funding from tax revenues. As a result, the cost of a four-year degree at a public university is often lower than the equivalent cost at a private college — especially for students attending a public school in their home state. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, the average annual cost (tuition, fees, room and board for full-time students) at a four-year public university was slightly over $20,000. In contrast, private universities cost, on average, nearly $43,000 annually.
The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why, at the undergraduate level, we rank the best colleges and universities based on what we call “Concentrated Influence”. Concentrated Influence takes the combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers (including faculty and alums) and divides it by the school’s total number of undergraduates.
Using concentrated influence gives small and mid-sized schools an opportunity to shine by taking away the size advantage of larger universities. A small school with proportionately more influential faculty than a large school, whose influence in absolute terms may be bigger, will nonetheless score higher in a concentrated influence ranking. Our approach highlights undergraduate schools that truly rank for excellence, regardless of size.
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.
Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.
Find out more about our ranking methodology here.
This list is composed entirely of private colleges and universities that offer four-year undergraduate degrees. We’ve identified 22 private universities in South Carolina, 14 of which satisfy our criteria. The list below of the best private universities in the state satisfies the following four conditions:
Tuition + fees
$21K
Graduation
65%
Student body
3K
View profile
Bob Jones University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$37K
Acceptance
60%
Graduation
52%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1025/19
View profile
Erskine College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$52K
Acceptance
65%
Graduation
81%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1330/30
View profile
Furman University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
93%
Graduation
53%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1065/23
View profile
Coker University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$28K
Acceptance
57%
Graduation
52%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
985/18
View profile
Newberry College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
53%
Graduation
80%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1270/28
View profile
Wofford College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$19K
Acceptance
97%
Graduation
66%
Student body
1K
View profile
Columbia College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$21K
Acceptance
82%
Graduation
52%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1115/19
View profile
Converse University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$26K
Acceptance
56%
Graduation
54%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1050/20
View profile
Southern Wesleyan University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$17K
Acceptance
65%
Graduation
50%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
940/17
View profile
Claflin University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$40K
Acceptance
71%
Graduation
64%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1115/22
View profile
Presbyterian College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$25K
Acceptance
51%
Graduation
68%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1035/21
View profile
Columbia International University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$30K
Acceptance
59%
Graduation
57%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1035/23
View profile
Anderson University ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$22K
Acceptance
65%
Graduation
51%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1055/23
View profile
North Greenville University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Photo By: John Foxe - Photograph by John Foxe, Public Domain
What are Custom College Rankings?
College Strategist
Stay informed! Get the latest Academic Influence news, information, and rankings with our upcoming newsletter.