2027 Best Value Early Childhood Education Schools in South Carolina
[Early Childhood Education](/majors/education/teacher-education-development-levels-methods/early-childhood-education/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 14 schools to find the best return on investment for early childhood education students.
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2027 Best Value Early Childhood Education Schools in South Carolina
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in early childhood education, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Early Childhood Education Schools
For return on investment in early childhood education, no school beat University Of South Carolina Aiken this year. Located in the suburb of Aiken, University Of South Carolina Aiken is a moderately-sized public university. In-state tuition and fees average $10,760, with out-of-state students paying around $21,218. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $24,776. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from University Of South Carolina Aiken generally make around $38,667. That is a strong return on a $24,776 median debt. Roughly 78% of applicants are accepted.
Francis Marion University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in early childhood education, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the rural area of Florence, Francis Marion University is a mid-sized public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $11,170, compared with $21,544 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $29,000 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $39,122. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 86%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Coastal Carolina University earned it the #3 place for early childhood education. Coastal Carolina University is a large public school located in the city of Conway. Students from in state pay about $11,640 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $29,628. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete the early childhood education program here. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Coastal Carolina University generally make around $43,072. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Coastal Carolina University admits about 75% of applicants.
A rank of #4 makes University Of South Carolina Upstate one of the best values for early childhood education. Located in the suburb of Spartanburg, University Of South Carolina Upstate is a moderately-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,588, while out-of-state students pay about $23,090. Students borrow a median of $27,375 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $40,081. That is a strong return on a $27,375 median debt. University Of South Carolina Upstate admits about 67% of applicants.
Winthrop University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in early childhood education, landing the #5 spot this year. Located in the city of Rock Hill, Winthrop University is a moderately-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $14,678, compared with $28,676 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $44,482. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 79%.
University Of South Carolina Beaufort came in at #6 for value in early childhood education this year. Located in the town of Bluffton, University Of South Carolina Beaufort is a mid-sized public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,730, with out-of-state students paying around $21,776. Students borrow a median of $27,750 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early Childhood Education graduates of University Of South Carolina Beaufort earn a median of $44,659 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 72%.
Lander University came in at #7 for value in early childhood education this year. Lander University is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Greenwood. In-state tuition and fees average $11,700, with out-of-state students paying around $21,300. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $26,075. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $43,532. Set against $26,075 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Lander University admits about 81% of applicants.
Southern Wesleyan University came in at #8 for value in early childhood education this year. Located in the suburb of Central, Southern Wesleyan University is a small private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $29,800. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $27,000. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Southern Wesleyan University generally make around $45,598. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. Roughly 100% of applicants are accepted.
College Of Charleston earned the #9 position for value in early childhood education this year. College Of Charleston is a large public school located in the city of Charleston. In-state tuition and fees average $12,978, with out-of-state students paying around $38,296. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $26,423 in student loans. Early Childhood Education graduates of College Of Charleston earn a median of $44,347 early in their careers. Set against $26,423 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 60%.
Bob Jones University ranked #10 on our 2027 list of the best value early childhood education schools. Set in the city of Greenville, Bob Jones University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $22,892. Students borrow a median of $19,250 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $34,152. Set against $19,250 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
North Greenville University landed the #11 spot for early childhood education value this year. Set in the rural area of Tigerville, North Greenville University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $25,800. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $26,000 in student loans. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $39,562. Set against $26,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. North Greenville University admits about 67% of applicants.
Charleston Southern University came in at #12 for value in early childhood education this year. Located in the city of Charleston, Charleston Southern University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $32,520 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete the early childhood education program here. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Charleston Southern University generally make around $40,478. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. The acceptance rate is 96%.
Clemson University landed the #13 spot for early childhood education value this year. Located in the suburb of Clemson, Clemson University is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $15,554 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $40,866. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $25,783. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Clemson University generally make around $41,080. That is a strong return on a $25,783 median debt. Clemson University admits about 38% of applicants.
University Of South Carolina Columbia landed the #14 spot for early childhood education value this year. Set in the city of Columbia, University Of South Carolina Columbia is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $12,688, with out-of-state students paying around $36,298. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $26,000 in student loans. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $43,172. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 60%.
More Early Childhood Education Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 14 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 14 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
