by our College Data Analytics TeamHere is what you can expect to pay at University of South Carolina-Columbia, including attendance costs, projected four- and two-year degree costs, average net price, debt outcomes, and how aid is distributed across income levels.
Use the section links below to navigate this overview:
Cost of attendance at University of South Carolina-Columbia came in between $32,840.00 through $56,124.00 depending on your residency status.
In-state students paid the lower published figure, while out-of-state students faced the higher one: close to $32,840.00 for in-state students versus $56,124.00 for non-residents.
The blocks below show what you would pay with no aid, with average aid, and as a low-income student.
| Tuition and fees | $12,688.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $20,152.00 |
| Total cost | $32,840.00 |
| That is 71% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $32,840.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$8,827.00 |
| Net price | $24,013.00 |
| That is 25% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $32,840.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$19,004.00 |
| Net price | $13,836.00 |
| That is 28% below the national average net price. |
| Tuition and fees | $35,972.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $20,152.00 |
| Total cost | $56,124.00 |
| That is 192% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $56,124.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$8,827.00 |
| Net price | $47,297.00 |
| That is 146% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $56,124.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$19,004.00 |
| Net price | $37,120.00 |
| That is 93% above the national average net price. | |
| Go deeper on the components with tuition and fees and room and board. |
Costs have trended upward in recent years at about 2.0% annually, so the projections below total more than one year of attendance. The detailed projections below compare a degree for a low-income aided student, an average-aid student, and a no-aid student. The repayment figures use a ten-year loan at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| Freshman year | $14,110.00 | $24,488.00 | $33,490.00 |
| Senior year | $14,964.00 | $25,971.00 | $35,518.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $58,137.00 | $100,899.00 | $137,988.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $22,148.00 | $38,439.00 | $52,569.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $669.00 | $1,161.00 | $1,588.00 |
| Total amount paid | $80,285.00 | $139,337.00 | $190,557.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| Freshman year | $14,110.00 | $24,488.00 | $33,490.00 |
| Senior year | $14,389.00 | $24,973.00 | $34,153.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $28,499.00 | $49,461.00 | $67,642.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $10,857.00 | $18,843.00 | $25,769.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $328.00 | $569.00 | $778.00 |
| Total amount paid | $39,356.00 | $68,304.00 | $93,412.00 |
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| Freshman year | $37,855.00 | $48,233.00 | $57,235.00 |
| Senior year | $40,146.00 | $51,153.00 | $60,700.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $155,972.00 | $198,734.00 | $235,824.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $59,420.00 | $75,711.00 | $89,840.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $1,795.00 | $2,287.00 | $2,714.00 |
| Total amount paid | $215,392.00 | $274,445.00 | $325,664.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| Freshman year | $37,855.00 | $48,233.00 | $57,235.00 |
| Senior year | $38,604.00 | $49,187.00 | $58,367.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $76,458.00 | $97,420.00 | $115,602.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $29,128.00 | $37,114.00 | $44,040.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $880.00 | $1,121.00 | $1,330.00 |
| Total amount paid | $105,586.00 | $134,534.00 | $159,642.00 |
See the full net-price breakdown in the net price section below.
The net price is the real out-of-pocket cost — what families pay after grant and scholarship aid is applied. For most families it is a more realistic figure than the published cost.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $22,811.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $24,532.00 |
The real cost varies by income because need-based aid scales with financial need. Here is the average net price for each family-income range:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $14,421.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $17,602.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $22,744.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $26,936.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $29,493.00 |
Get a tailored estimate from the University of South Carolina-Columbia Net Price Calculator, or visit the financial aid office.
For the grant-and-scholarship detail behind these figures, see the financial aid breakdown.
Typical debt at graduation from University of South Carolina-Columbia comes to $18,500.00, placing the school in the Low ($10-20k) burden tier.
The percentile spread of debt at graduation is shown below:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $5,250.00 |
| 25th | $8,750.00 |
| Median (50th) | $18,500.00 |
| 75th | $27,000.00 |
| 90th | $32,000.00 |
How far apart the 10th and 90th percentiles sit tells you how uneven debt outcomes are.
Explore borrowing, repayment, and default in detail on the student-loan-debt breakdown.
Median debt at graduation differs meaningfully across income brackets. Below, debt is broken out by low, middle, and high family income:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $17,918.00 |
| Middle income | $18,750.00 |
| High income | $18,500.00 |
Whether your parents attended college is associated with differences in median debt at graduation.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,625.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,362.00 |
First-generation graduates of University of South Carolina-Columbia hold $263.00 more debt than continuing-generation students.
The Pell Grant is the largest federal grant for undergraduates from low-income families. Pell vs non-Pell comparisons surface how debt breaks down by need.
The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap at University of South Carolina-Columbia is $2,250.00. This school carries a federal Pell-debt-inequity flag.
The federal default-rate tier for University of South Carolina-Columbia is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 3.2% |
For context on the loan portfolio, Stafford disbursements at University of South Carolina-Columbia add up to $2,493,344,611.00 spread across 84,515 recipients.
Veterans and active-duty service members may qualify for substantial federal education benefits including the GI Bill and Department of Defense tuition support.
| GI Bill recipients | 747 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $12,323.00 |
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 132 |
| Avg DoD Tuition Assistance | $3,640.00 |
Read more about military and veteran aid on the veterans benefits detail.
The data above is a foundation; round it out by asking yourself about University of South Carolina-Columbia, a few questions are worth asking:
Dig further into the cost picture with the related pages below:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.