South Carolina Public Universities Ranked By Cheapest Tuition
If you’re looking to get a fantastic education there is no need to look outside the state of South Carolina. College can be expensive and staying in state can save…
If you're looking to get a fantastic education there is no need to look outside the state of South Carolina. College can be expensive and staying in state can save you significant money by choosing a public university. Luckily, South Carolina has 12 incredible public universities. However, I have to say that in-state tuition in South Carolina is more expensive than in North Carolina. But which South Carolina universities have the cheapest tuition?
This data comes to us from US News and World Report, which released its 2024 Best Colleges Rankings this week. These reports and lists cover a variety of factors from best overall, regional, liberal arts, and best value schools. To create this list of the North Carolina universities with the cheapest tuition I filtered by South Carolina and then sorted the results by cost. This gave me a combination of the public and private universities and cost was filtered by out-of-state. But for your info, I ranked each school by the reported (by US News) tuition cost for in-state students at each of the public universities in SC.
There are 12 public universities in the state. Each of these are incredible, unique universities with lots to offer potential students. You'll find a profile of each of them below with the tuition as reported by US News in order of least expensive to most expensive. Tuition at South Carolina public universities runs from just under $11,000 to upwards of $15,000 depending upon the school. These costs are just tuition and do not include the cost of room and board, food, and other fees. So you'll have to factor in them. But it's great to know our state has so many wonderful higher education institutions.
You can read the info directly from US News here.
USC Beaufort
USC Beaufort has three campuses one in Bluffton, one in Beaufort, and one in Hilton Head. The school offers >50 undergraduate academic programs of study. Tuition is the cheapest in SC at $10,730.
USC Aiken
USC Aiken offers degrees in a variety of areas including arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. All programs are "grounded in a strong liberal arts and sciences curriculum." Tuition is $10,760.
Francis Marion University
FMU is dedicated to providing students a "quality university education" that is affordable! Tuition to this Florence, SC University is $11,160.
Coastal Carolina University
Coastal Carolina University is a public liberal arts institution in Conway, South Carolina. It's home to more than 10,000 students from across the country and The University offers over 100 undergraduate degrees across six academic colleges. Tuition is $11,640.
Lander University
Lander University was founded in 1872 in Greenwood, S.C. With approximately 3,800 students, Lander provides an exceptional education to around 3,800 students in "traditional liberal arts and science programs, and its professional programs in business, education, and nursing". Tuition is $11,700.
USC Upstate
You'll find USC Upstate in Spartanburg, SC in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The university is known for its "accessible, rigorous, and career-relevant education". Tuition is $11,758.
The Citadel
The Citadel is the Military College of South Carolina. It's ranked the number one public college in South Carolina and approximately 1 in 3 cadets (students) earn commission into the United States Armed Forces post-graduation. Tuition is $12,570.
South Carolina State Univeristy
South Carolina State is a land grant HBCU in Orangeburg, SC. It's SC's only public HBCU. Tuition is $12,592.
University of South Carolina
Located in Columbia, USC offers more than 350 degree options — more than any other school in the state. Tuition is $12,688.
College of Charleston
Located in the gorgeous historic city of Charleston, the College of Charleston is "truly one of the nation’s great public universities." Its rich history dates back more than 250 years. Tuition is $12,978.
Clemson University
Clemson is a Carnegie R1 public research institution. It offers students more than 80 undergraduate majors all in the college town of the same name. Tuition is $15,558.
Winthrop University
And the most expensive public in-state tuition in South Carolina? It goes to Winthrop University located in Rock Hill, SC. Tuition is $15,866.
