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UofSC Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

58% 4-Year Graduation Rate
71% 6-Year Graduation Rate
90% Retention Rate

University of South Carolina - Columbia 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

How many UofSC first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore UofSC retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.

UofSC Retention Rate

90% Freshmen Retention Rate
Good Retention Rate

Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.

With 90% students making it past their freshmen year, UofSC has freshmen retention rates above the national average.

Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.

When looking at just colleges and universities in South Carolina, the average is 65.91%.

UofSC Retention  90 out of 100
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100%
South Carolina Retention  66 out of 100
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100%
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Retention Rate
UofSC90%
Nationwide70.57%
South Carolina65.91%

UofSC Graduation Rates

71% 6-Year Graduation Rate
19.76% Transfer Rate
8.05% Dropout Rate

Of the 5,450 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?

Four years after beginning their degree, 58% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 71% of the students had graduated and after eight years 72% of this class completed their degree.

The official graduation rate of UofSC is 71%. This is the percentage of students who completed their degree within 150% of the published time. That means six years for a standard bachelor's degree program.

The average length of time it takes an UofSC undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.18 years.

Four Year Graduation Rate  57%
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100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  71%
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  72%
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100%

UofSC Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years4,40757%
Six Years5,45071%
Eight Years751%
Did Not Complete2,17028%
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
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UofSC Drop Out Rate

Approximately 2170 students or 28% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 2170 students who did not complete their degree?

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Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled90.4%
Transferred152270.1%
Dropped Out62028.6%

UofSC Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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Race/EthnicityGraduation Rate
American Indian or Alaskan Native60%
Asian84%
Black / African-American73%
Hawaiian60%
Hispanic75%
International72%
Multi-Ethnic71%
Unknown73%
White79%

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.

Traditional Students:

First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.

Non-Traditional Students:

Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.

The majority of students at UofSC are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.

Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.

First-Time / Full-Time UofSC Graduation Rates

60% First-Time, Full-Time
75% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / full-time students at University of South Carolina - Columbia represent 60% of the students in the class of 2015, and 63.98% of UofSC bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 58%, first-time students in the UofSC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the UofSC graduation rate was 75%, and by the eight year mark, 77% of the cohort had completed their degree.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.

Four Year Graduation Rate  58 out of 100
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100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  75 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  77 out of 100
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100%

UofSC First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsUofSCNationwide
Four Years58%37.92%
Six Years75%46.43%
Eight Years77%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time UofSC Drop Out Rates

1078 first-time / full-time students or 23% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled90.83%
Transferred89883.30%
Dropped Out16415.21%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

2% First-Time, Part-Time
18% 6-Year Grad Rate
Low Grad Rate

First-time / part-time students at University of South Carolina - Columbia represent 1.77% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 18%, first-time, part-time students in the UofSC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 18%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, 23.72% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  18 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  18 out of 100
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First-Time / Part-Time UofSC Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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First-Time / Part-Time CompletionsUofSCNationwide
Four Years7%14.37%
Six Years18%21.59%
Eight Years18%23.72%

First-Time / Part-Time UofSC Drop Out Rates

111 first-time / part-time students or 82% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled10.90%
Transferred3329.73%
Dropped Out7769.37%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

32% Returning, Full-Time
72% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

2445 UofSC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 31.75% of the students in the class of 2015.

Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.

With a six year graduation rate of 72%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 72%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  72 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  72 out of 100
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100%

UofSC Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Full-Time CompletionsUofSCNationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years72%53.83%
Eight Years72%55.07%

Non First-Time / Full-Time UofSC Drop Out Rates

681 non first-time / part-time students or 28% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled50.73%
Transferred42261.97%
Dropped Out25437.30%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

6% Returning, Part-Time
38% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

492 UofSC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 6.39% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 38%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 39%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  38 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  39 out of 100
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100%

UofSC Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Part-Time CompletionsUofSCNationwide
Four Years0%30.46%
Six Years38%36.03%
Eight Years39%37.80%

Non First-Time / Part-Time UofSC Drop Out Rates

300 non first-time / part-time students or 61% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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Returning / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled62.00%
Transferred16956.33%
Dropped Out12541.67%

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