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South Carolina State University: Rankings, Admissions, Cost & Majors

Fair Price Value for Your Money
83% Acceptance Rate
17% Student Loan Default Rate

South Carolina State University is a public institution in Orangeburg, South Carolina enrolling 2,934 undergraduates. It accepts 83% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 37%, near the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #2,839 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 55%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.

Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.

How Is South Carolina State University Ranked?

South Carolina State University ranks #2,839 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 55%.

#2,839 Best Colleges in Nation
#49 Best Colleges in SC
South Carolina State University ranking badge

2027 Rankings

In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.

Overall Quality

College Factual ranked South Carolina State University as #2,839 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list.

South Carolina State University also holds the #49 spot on the Best Colleges in South Carolina ranking.

See all of the rankings for South Carolina State University.

Is It Hard to Get Into South Carolina State University?

83% Acceptance Rate
82% Of Accepted Are Women

Acceptance Rate

The acceptance rate at South Carolina State University is 83%. That’s higher than the rate at many schools, but still low enough to be considered somewhat selective. If you want to get in, you’ll need good grades and to be able to show that South Carolina State University is a good fit for you.

Learn more about South Carolina State University admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at South Carolina State University?

19 to 1 Student to Faculty
100% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

At South Carolina State University, the student to faculty ratio is 19 to 1. Compared to the national average of 15 to 1, this is somewhat high. This could mean that class sizes may be larger than they are at other colleges or universities or that professors may be required to teach more classes.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.

The full-time faculty percentage at South Carolina State University is 100%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  100 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at South Carolina State University?

56% Freshmen Retention
37% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate is a sign of how many full-time students like a college or university well enough to come back for their sophomore year. At South Carolina State University this rate is 56%, which is a bit lower than the national average of 68%.

Freshmen Retention Rate  56 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

The on-time graduation rate is the percent of first-time, full-time students who get their bachelor’s degree within four years. At South Carolina State University this rate is 37%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  37 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at South Carolina State University.

How Diverse Is South Carolina State University?

2,934 Undergraduate Students
95.3% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
53.8% Percent Women

The current enrollment includes 2,934 undergraduates at South Carolina State University.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at South Carolina State University.

How Much Does South Carolina State University Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
67% Take Out Loans
$26,096 Total Student Loans

The overall average net price of South Carolina State University is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.

Net Price by Income Group for South Carolina State University

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$16,846 $16,968 $20,449 $22,587 $24,523

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of South Carolina State University, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At South Carolina State University, approximately 67% of students took out student loans averaging $6,524 a year. That adds up to $26,096 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 16.9%. This is significantly higher than the national default rate of 10.1%, which means you could have trouble paying back your student loans if you take any out. Get more details about paying for South Carolina State University.

How Much Do South Carolina State U Graduates Earn?

$38,262 Avg Salary of Grads
Low Earnings Boost

The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from South Carolina State University make about $38,262 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. Unfortunately, this is 22% less than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. However, graduates in your major field may make more. Average Salary for South Carolina State University Graduates

See which majors at South Carolina State University make the most money.

Where Is South Carolina State University Located?

South Carolina State
2,934 Undergraduate Students
Town Campus Setting

South Carolina State University is an public institution found in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Orangeburg is a great place for students who enjoy small town life. Get more details about the location of South Carolina State University.

Location of South Carolina State University

Contact details for South Carolina State University are listed below.

Contact Details
Address: 300 College St NE, Orangeburg, SC 29117-0001
Phone: 8035367000
Website: www.scsu.edu
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Carolina_State_University
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SCState
Twitter: twitter.com/SCSTATE1896

What Majors Does South Carolina State University Offer?

19 Majors With Completions
718 Undergraduate Degrees

During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 19 majors graduated from South Carolina State University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 359 NA
Educational Administration 40 NA
General Family & Consumer Sciences 34 $17,756
General Biology 32 $20,692
Business Administration & Management 32 $29,870
Communication Sciences 27 $43,798
Business & Commerce 21 NA
Criminal Justice & Corrections 20 $28,987
Communication & Media Studies 12 $17,125
Teacher Education Grade Specific 11 NA

Learn more about the majors offered at South Carolina State University along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does South Carolina State University Offer Online Classes?

66% Take At Least One Class Online
2% Take All Classes Online

1,930 students took at least one online class at South Carolina State University.

Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.

Learn more about online learning at South Carolina State University.

Interested in comparing South Carolina State University? Pit them head to head with College Combat, a free interactive tool for comparing colleges on the features you care about.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

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