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2026 Highest Paid Public Administration Grads in South Carolina

[Public Administration](/majors/social-services-public-administration/public-administration/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.

For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find where public administration graduates earn the most.

What’s on this page:

• Highest Paid Public Administration Grads in South Carolina

2026 Highest Paid Public Administration Grads in South Carolina

Below are the schools whose public administration graduates go on to earn the most.

Highest Paid Public Administration Graduates

1

Clemson University
Clemson, SC

$65,949 Average Early-Career Salary

Clemson University earned the #1 spot for highest-paid public administration graduates in South Carolina. Set in the suburb of Clemson, Clemson University is a public institution. Early-career public administration graduates from Clemson University make a median of around $65,949 per year.

2

Strayer University South Carolina
Greenville, SC

$60,858 Average Early-Career Salary

Students chasing top earnings in public administration will find them at Strayer University South Carolina, which ranked #2. Strayer University South Carolina is a private for-profit school located in the city of Greenville. Students who complete the public administration program here go on to a median salary of roughly $60,858.

3

College Of Charleston
Charleston, SC

$57,075 Average Early-Career Salary

College Of Charleston came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying public administration schools. College Of Charleston is a public school located in the city of Charleston. Public Administration graduates of College Of Charleston earn a median of about $57,075 a year early in their careers.

4

South University Columbia
Columbia, SC

$46,093 Average Early-Career Salary

Strong graduate earnings at South University Columbia earned it the #4 place for public administration. South University Columbia is a private for-profit school located in the suburb of Columbia. Students who complete the public administration program here go on to a median salary of roughly $46,093.

View All Public Administration Rankings >

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their public administration graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).

Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 4 schools evaluated.

*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.

• 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.
• Graduate earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard) field-of-study earnings.

More about our data sources and methodologies.