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University of South Carolina-Upstate: Rankings, Cost & Majors

98 awards Ranking Badges
Fair Price Value for Your Money
67% Acceptance Rate

University of South Carolina-Upstate is a public institution in Spartanburg, South Carolina enrolling 4,038 undergraduates. It accepts 67% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 43%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,225 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 24%), 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 University of South Carolina-Upstate Ranked?

University of South Carolina-Upstate ranks #1,225 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 24%.

#1,225 Best Colleges in Nation
#11 Best Colleges in SC
University of South Carolina-Upstate ranking badge

2027 Rankings

College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.

University of South Carolina-Upstate was awarded 98 badges in the 2027 rankings.

Overall Quality

College Factual ranked USC Upstate as #1,225 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list.

USC Upstate also holds the #11 spot on the Best Colleges in South Carolina ranking.

See all of the rankings for University of South Carolina-Upstate.

Is It Hard to Get Into University of South Carolina-Upstate?

67% Acceptance Rate
68% Of Accepted Are Women
7% Submit SAT Scores

Acceptance Rate

University of South Carolina-Upstate has an acceptance rate of 67%, which means the school is serious about who it admits. Take your time in putting together a strong application that highlights why you are a good fit for USC Upstate.

Average Test Scores

About 7% of students accepted to USC Upstate submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 510 and 605. Math scores were between 495 and 570.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for University of South Carolina-Upstate  ( 510 to 605 )
200
800
SAT Math Scores for University of South Carolina-Upstate  ( 495 to 570 )
200
800

USC Upstate received ACT scores from 3% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 21 and 26.

ACT Composite Scores for University of South Carolina-Upstate  ( 21 to 26 )
1
36

Learn more about University of South Carolina-Upstate admissions.

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

15 to 1 Student to Faculty
56% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

With a student to faculty ratio of 15 to 1, University of South Carolina-Upstate is about average in this regard as the nationwide rate is 15 to 1. While this does not translate directly to class size, it’s a good indicator of how much time professors will have to spend with their students on a one-on-one basis.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

Another measure that is often used to estimate how much access students will have to their professors is how many faculty members are full-time. The idea here is that part-time faculty tend to spend less time on campus, so they may not be as available to students as full-timers.

The full-time faculty percentage at University of South Carolina-Upstate is 56%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  56 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at University of South Carolina-Upstate?

70% Freshmen Retention
43% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate tells us what percentage of first-year, full-time students choose to continue on to their sophomore year at a particular school. The rate at University of South Carolina-Upstate is 70%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.

Freshmen Retention Rate  70 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At USC Upstate the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 43%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  43 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at University of South Carolina-Upstate.

How Diverse Is University of South Carolina-Upstate?

4,038 Undergraduate Students
47.7% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
65.8% Percent Women

In the current academic year, there are 4,038 undergraduates at USC Upstate.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at University of South Carolina-Upstate.

How Much Does University of South Carolina-Upstate Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
49% Take Out Loans
$26,916 Total Student Loans

The overall average net price of USC Upstate 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 USC Upstate

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$11,618 $11,537 $13,394 $17,356 $19,325

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 USC Upstate, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At USC Upstate, approximately 49% of students took out student loans averaging $6,729 a year. That adds up to $26,916 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 5.6%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for University of South Carolina-Upstate.

How Much Do U of South Carolina-Upstate Graduates Earn?

$48,587 Avg Salary of Grads
Average Earnings Boost

Yearly salaries vary depending on what you major in, but on average, bachelor’s degree recipients from University of South Carolina-Upstate make around $48,587 per year during the early years of their employment. This is right on par with the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Also, graduates in your major field may make more. Average Salary for University of South Carolina-Upstate Graduates

See which majors at University of South Carolina-Upstate make the most money.

Where Is University of South Carolina-Upstate Located?

South Carolina State
4,038 Undergraduate Students
Suburb Campus Setting

University of South Carolina-Upstate is an public institution found in Spartanburg, South Carolina. USC Upstate is located in a safe and convenient suburb. Get more details about the location of University of South Carolina-Upstate.

Location of University of South Carolina-Upstate

Contact information for University of South Carolina-Upstate can be found below.

Contact Details
Address: 800 University Way, Spartanburg, SC 29303-4999
Phone: 8645035000
Website: www.uscupstate.edu
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_South_Carolina_Upstate
Facebook: www.facebook.com/uscupstate
Twitter: www.twitter.com/uscupstate

What Majors Does University of South Carolina-Upstate Offer?

21 Majors With Completions
2,298 Undergraduate Degrees

In the most recent reporting year, students from 21 majors graduated from University of South Carolina-Upstate. 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 1,149 NA
Nursing 235 $61,719
Curriculum & Instruction 105 NA
Teacher Education Grade Specific 68 $32,719
General Psychology 68 $28,634
Liberal Arts General Studies 64 $26,014
Physiology & Pathology Sciences 63 $25,903
Criminal Justice & Corrections 58 $31,958
Computer Information Systems 54 $42,033
Business Administration & Management 48 $37,902

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

Does USC Upstate Offer Online Classes?

94% Take At Least One Class Online
20% Take All Classes Online

3,779 students took at least one online class at University of South Carolina-Upstate.

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 University of South Carolina-Upstate.

Interested in comparing USC Upstate? Compare them side by side using College Combat, our free tool for head-to-head college comparisons.

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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