by our College Data Analytics TeamWith all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Top South Carolina Colleges ranking is part of that endeavor.
After analyzing 45 schools in South Carolina, we came up with our list of those that offered the highest quality education. To come up with this ranking, we look at more than 20 factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include freshman retention, graduation rate, student-to-faculty ratio, and post graduate earnings, among other things.
Find out more about our ranking methodology.
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location and field of study as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to veterans and returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head!
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found University of South Carolina - Columbia to be the best school for overall quality in South Carolina in this year’s ranking.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $62,177 during the early years of their career..
Out of the 45 schools in South Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Clemson University landed the #2 spot on the list.
The low student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Clemson make an average of $71,513 per year during the early years of their career.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia International University. The school came in at #3 in South Carolina on this year’s overall quality ranking.
During the early years of their career, graduates from CIU make an average of $38,951 a year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Citadel Military College of South Carolina. The school came in at #4 in South Carolina on this year’s overall quality ranking.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $72,085 during the early years of their career..
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Furman University. The school came in at #5 in South Carolina on this year’s overall quality ranking.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Furman is $68,635 during the early years of their career.
College of Charleston ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges in South Carolina list.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from C of C make an average of $56,416 per year during the early years of their career.
Greenville Technical College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges in South Carolina list.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from GTC go into careers with an average salary of $39,473 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #8, Wofford College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in South Carolina list.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 77%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Wofford go into careers with an average salary of $68,964 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #9, Anderson University South Carolina did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in South Carolina list.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Anderson University South Carolina is $42,101 during the early years of their career.
University of South Carolina - Upstate did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in South Carolina ranking, coming in at #10.
During the early years of their career, graduates from USC Upstate make an average of $48,587 a year.
With a ranking of #11, Spartanburg Methodist College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in South Carolina list.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $42,895 during the early years of their career..
Coastal Carolina University did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in South Carolina ranking, coming in at #12.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Coastal Carolina University make an average of $47,258 per year during the early years of their career.
Winthrop University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in South Carolina ranking.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Winthrop make an average of $47,185 a year.
With a ranking of #14, Trident Technical College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in South Carolina list.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Trident Technical College is $38,253 during the early years of their career.
Presbyterian College did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in South Carolina ranking, coming in at #15.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from PC make an average of $60,194 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #16, Midlands Technical College did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in South Carolina list.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from MTC go into careers with an average salary of $38,701 during the early years of their career.
Florence-Darlington Technical College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges in South Carolina list.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Florence-Darlington Technical College make an average of $32,748 per year during the early years of their career.
Horry-Georgetown Technical College landed the #18 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in South Carolina ranking.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Horry-Georgetown Technical College make an average of $35,507 a year.
Southern Wesleyan University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges in South Carolina list.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from SWU is $47,756 during the early years of their career.
Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in South Carolina ranking, coming in at #20.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from OCtech is $35,761 during the early years of their career.
Bob Jones University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in South Carolina ranking.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $44,354 during the early years of their career..
Spartanburg Community College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in South Carolina ranking.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Spartanburg Community College make an average of $37,097 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #23, North Greenville University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in South Carolina list.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from North Greenville make an average of $43,035 per year during the early years of their career.
Tri-County Technical College landed the #24 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in South Carolina ranking.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from TCTC make an average of $40,101 per year during the early years of their career.
Lander University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in South Carolina ranking.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Lander University make an average of $42,396 a year.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.