Best Small Colleges in South Carolina 2023

Best Small Colleges in South Carolina 2023

By James Barham

Published: May 4, 2021
Updated: Mar 13, 2023

Small colleges in South Carolina are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.

10 Best Small Colleges in South Carolina 2022

Furman University

43%

Bob Jones University

36%

South Carolina State University

31%

Wofford College

31%

31%

Charleston Southern University

27%

Presbyterian College

26%

Francis Marion University

26%

Erskine College

25%

Allen University

25%

Columbia College

99%

Coker University

98%

South Carolina State University

88%

Limestone University

87%

Francis Marion University

86%

86%

Benedict College

86%

University of South Carolina Beaufort

84%

University of South Carolina Aiken

84%

Converse University

82%

Benedict College

18 to 1

Lander University

17 to 1

University of South Carolina Aiken

17 to 1

Anderson University, South Carolina

16 to 1

Allen University

15 to 1

Columbia International University

15 to 1

Erskine College

15 to 1

University of South Carolina Beaufort

15 to 1

Newberry College

14 to 1

South Carolina State University

14 to 1

Furman University

$53,372

Wofford College

$49,550

Presbyterian College

$41,080

Erskine College

$36,510

Coker University

$31,524

Anderson University, South Carolina

$30,720

Charleston Southern University

$28,930

Newberry College

$28,250

Southern Wesleyan University

$26,498

Limestone University

$26,300

Presbyterian College

$47,000

Coker University

$18,700

University of South Carolina Beaufort

$13,734

University of South Carolina Aiken

$13,734

Southern Wesleyan University

$13,560

Erskine College

$13,200

Limestone University

$12,350

North Greenville University

$11,880

Claflin University

$11,653

$10,740

Voorhees University

10%

Clinton College

12%

Coker University

14%

Limestone University

16%

Columbia College

16%

Columbia International University

17%

University of South Carolina Beaufort

18%

19%

Southern Wesleyan University

19%

Converse University

20%

Columbia International University

46%

Anderson University, South Carolina

50%

Wofford College

52%

Southern Wesleyan University

57%

Charleston Southern University

57%

Allen University

57%

Newberry College

57%

Claflin University

62%

Erskine College

63%

Lander University

69%

Clinton College

6 to 1

Furman University

9 to 1

Converse University

11 to 1

Voorhees University

11 to 1

Bob Jones University

12 to 1

Wofford College

12 to 1

Coker University

12 to 1

12 to 1

Presbyterian College

12 to 1

12 to 1

$8,356

South Carolina State University

$9,528

Clinton College

$10,020

University of South Carolina Beaufort

$10,344

Francis Marion University

$10,384

University of South Carolina Aiken

$10,398

Lander University

$10,700

Voorhees University

$12,630

Allen University

$13,340

$15,450

Charleston Southern University

$5,085

Newberry College

$5,940

Converse University

$7,488

Furman University

$7,513

Allen University

$8,100

Columbia College

$9,120

Bob Jones University

$9,532

Lander University

$9,810

South Carolina State University

$9,928

Benedict College

$10,100

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

South Carolina's Best Small Colleges and Universities Badge — Download Badge

The following list of the best small colleges and universities in South Carolina is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 27 small colleges in South Carolina. The list below of the best small colleges in South Carolina. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.

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

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.

Best Small Colleges in South Carolina 2022

Build your own college rankings

South Carolina’s Best Small College in Your Area of Interest

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.