University of South Carolina-Columbia

Columbia, SC sc.edu 28,113 students

The University of South Carolina's main campus occupies a substantial footprint in downtown Columbia, placing students near the state's political center. The student body is active in research, as the university has a high level of research activity. Unique to the university are its extensive special collections, including impressive holdings of Robert Burns and Ernest Hemingway works.

Programs

Analyzed in dataset

Earnings

$44,282

Average graduate, 1 yr after

Outlook

51/100

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

Tuition

$12,688

In-state sticker price

Out-of-state: $34,934/yr

Financial Aid

The sticker price is rarely what families actually pay. University of South Carolina's grant and scholarship aid lowers the net price for most income brackets. 19% of students receive Pell Grants; 42% take federal loans.

Net Price by Family Income

Academic Year 2025

Income Bracket	Avg Net Price	4-Year Net Cost
$0 – $30K	$14,421	$57,684
$30K – $48K	$17,602	$70,408
$48K – $75K	$22,744	$90,976
$75K – $110K	$26,936	$107,744
$110K+	$29,493	$117,972
Sticker price (no aid)	$12,688	$50,752

Net price = tuition + fees + room & board minus grants and scholarships, by reported family-income bracket. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey via College Scorecard.

Programs at University of South Carolina

56 degree programs ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any program for AI scenario analysis and 10-year earnings projections.

Degree Program	DW Score	1-yr Earnings	AI Risk	ROI
Management Science Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods Compare across schools →	85	$68,804/yr	Very High	16.9x
Information Sciences Computer and Information Sciences, General Compare across schools →	83	$68,597/yr	Very High	16.2x
Finance Finance and Financial Management Services Compare across schools →	83	$62,231/yr	Very High	17.0x
Nursing Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Compare across schools →	82	$73,872/yr	High	13.8x
International Business Compare across schools →	81	$70,992/yr	Very High	19.9x
Computer Engineering Compare across schools →	80	$73,982/yr	Very High	16.3x
Accounting Accounting and Related Services Compare across schools →	80	$59,283/yr	Very High	15.6x
Electrical Engineering Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering Compare across schools →	74	$77,161/yr	Very High	18.5x
Chemical Engineering Compare across schools →	73	$75,680/yr	High	18.7x
Business Economics Business/Managerial Economics Compare across schools →	73	$62,692/yr	Very High	19.0x
Mechanical Engineering Compare across schools →	72	$72,370/yr	Very High	16.4x
Civil Engineering Compare across schools →	72	$69,424/yr	High	16.3x
Insurance Compare across schools →	70	$63,417/yr	Very High	15.8x
Business Administration Business Administration, Management and Operations Compare across schools →	70	$47,993/yr	High	12.8x
Marketing Compare across schools →	68	$52,374/yr	Very High	14.2x
Economics Compare across schools →	68	$48,149/yr	Very High	12.6x
Mathematics Compare across schools →	65	$49,949/yr	Very High	13.7x
Biomedical Engineering Biomedical/Medical Engineering Compare across schools →	61	$57,311/yr	High	13.5x
Sales & Marketing General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations Compare across schools →	61	$45,052/yr	High	10.0x
Public Relations & Advertising Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Compare across schools →	60	$42,974/yr	High	12.1x
Chemistry Compare across schools →	58	$39,018/yr	High	12.8x
Statistics Compare across schools →	55	$69,543/yr	Very High	12.7x
Health & Physical Education Health and Physical Education/Fitness Compare across schools →	55	$40,702/yr	Moderate	11.6x
Geography and Cartography Compare across schools →	52	$46,929/yr	High	9.6x
Allied Health Professions Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions Compare across schools →	52	$44,919/yr	Moderate	9.2x
Teacher Education Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Compare across schools →	51	$40,785/yr	High	7.6x
Hospitality Management Hospitality Administration/Management Compare across schools →	51	$36,690/yr	High	9.5x
Subject-Area Teaching Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas Compare across schools →	50	$40,596/yr	High	7.2x
Criminal Justice Criminal Justice and Corrections Compare across schools →	50	$35,781/yr	Moderate	8.7x
Real Estate Compare across schools →	48	$51,965/yr	High	9.2x
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication Compare across schools →	48	$33,941/yr	High	10.7x
Political Science Political Science and Government Compare across schools →	48	$33,157/yr	Very High	10.9x
Natural Resources & Conservation Research Natural Resources Conservation and Research Compare across schools →	43	$35,081/yr	High	11.5x
Public Health Compare across schools →	42	$31,756/yr	High	9.9x
International Relations International Relations and National Security Studies Compare across schools →	41	$33,612/yr	High	10.0x
Music Compare across schools →	40	$38,657/yr	High	8.6x
Journalism Compare across schools →	39	$38,762/yr	Very High	9.1x
Biology Biology, General Compare across schools →	39	$28,035/yr	High	11.0x
History Compare across schools →	38	$27,652/yr	High	9.1x
Research and Experimental Psychology Compare across schools →	37	$29,350/yr	High	8.5x
Physiology Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences Compare across schools →	36	$27,374/yr	High	11.4x
Communication and Media Studies Compare across schools →	35	$35,586/yr	High	6.0x
Geosciences Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences Compare across schools →	33	$38,432/yr	High	6.6x
Romance Languages Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics Compare across schools →	33	$21,411/yr	Very High	10.9x
Sociology Compare across schools →	32	$30,517/yr	High	7.6x
Social Work Compare across schools →	31	$28,032/yr	Moderate	7.9x
Fine Arts Fine and Studio Arts Compare across schools →	30	$27,467/yr	Moderate	7.0x
Dance Compare across schools →	28	$33,291/yr	Low	5.6x
Anthropology Compare across schools →	28	$23,785/yr	High	7.3x
Liberal Arts & Humanities Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Compare across schools →	26	$33,245/yr	Low	7.2x
English English Language and Literature, General Compare across schools →	26	$25,729/yr	Very High	8.1x
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology Compare across schools →	26	$25,271/yr	High	8.4x
Area Studies Compare across schools →	25	$32,064/yr	Very High	5.3x
Philosophy Compare across schools →	25	$30,936/yr	Very High	5.1x
Biochemistry Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology Compare across schools →	21	$23,763/yr	High	3.7x
Film & Photography Film/Video and Photographic Arts Compare across schools →	21	$23,686/yr	High	6.9x