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No school served veteran and military students better than Clemson University this year in South Carolina. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 86.7 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re a veteran, service member, or military-affiliated student looking for a college that has your back, you’ve come to the right place. We have ranked 85 colleges ranked on how well they support veterans in South Carolina, using our 2026 methodology.
This ranking is based on the factors that matter most to veteran and military-affiliated students: affordability and veteran financial benefits, academic quality, on-campus veteran resources and support services, veteran-friendly policies, and the size of the veteran student community. To arm you with the information you need, College Factual reviewed 85 colleges, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Not every veteran weighs these factors the same way. Refine the list by location, or explore our other rankings below.
Looking to pit your favorite colleges against each other? We built a tool called College Combat to weigh schools on the factors you care about most.
Explore the leading colleges for veterans below:
No school served veteran and military students better than Clemson University this year in South Carolina. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 86.7 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Citadel Military College of South Carolina came in at #2 on this year's Best Colleges for Veterans ranking in South Carolina. Citadel Military College of South Carolina scores 85.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
A rank of #3 makes University of South Carolina-Columbia one of the best colleges for veterans in South Carolina. University of South Carolina-Columbia scores 81.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Out of the 85 colleges in South Carolina in this year's ranking, Voorhees University landed the #4 spot. Voorhees University scores 81.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Veteran and military students will find strong support at Allen University, which ranked #5 this year. Allen University scores 80.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 33.3.
Winthrop University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. The school's overall veterans score is 77.6 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
University of South Carolina Aiken landed the #7 spot in South Carolina this year. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 77.4 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
Tri-County Technical College came in at #8 in this year's ranking. It scores 76.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Coastal Carolina University placed #9 among the best colleges for veterans in South Carolina. Coastal Carolina University scores 75.6 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
University of South Carolina-Upstate earned the #10 position in South Carolina. University of South Carolina-Upstate scores 75.1 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Lander University earned the #11 position in South Carolina. The school's overall veterans score is 74.7 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Greenville Technical College landed the #12 spot in South Carolina this year. Greenville Technical College scores 74.5 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, and veteran resources 66.7.
College of Charleston came in at #13 in this year's ranking. College of Charleston scores 74.0 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Charleston Southern University placed #14 among the best colleges for veterans in South Carolina. Charleston Southern University scores 72.2 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 87.4, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Anderson University earned the #15 position in South Carolina. The school's overall veterans score is 71.6 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 80.8, and veteran resources 33.3.
Southeastern College-Columbia ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the best colleges for veterans. Southeastern College-Columbia scores 71.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
Midlands Technical College landed the #17 spot in South Carolina this year. Midlands Technical College scores 71.3 out of 100 for veteran support overall. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Columbia International University landed the #18 spot in South Carolina this year. It scores 70.1 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 97.2, with a veteran-resources score of 33.3.
University of South Carolina Beaufort earned the #19 position in South Carolina. The school's overall veterans score is 69.2 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Strayer University-South Carolina earned the #20 position in South Carolina. It scores 69.0 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
Bob Jones University placed #21 among the best colleges for veterans in South Carolina. On our overall veterans measure, it scores 68.9 out of 100. Veteran affordability scores 100.0, and veteran resources 33.3.
Trident Technical College came in at #22 in this year's ranking. The school's overall veterans score is 68.9 out of 100. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
Columbia College landed the #23 spot in South Carolina this year. The school's overall veterans score is 68.9 out of 100. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 33.3 veteran-resources score.
South University-Columbia landed the #24 spot in South Carolina this year. South University-Columbia scores 68.4 out of 100 for veteran support overall. On affordability for veterans it scores 100.0, with a veteran-resources score of 66.7.
Aiken Technical College earned the #25 position in South Carolina. It scores 67.9 out of 100 for serving veteran and military students. Its affordability for veterans scores 100.0, alongside a 66.7 veteran-resources score.
These colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is based on the factors that matter most to veteran and military-affiliated students: affordability and veteran financial benefits, academic quality, on-campus veteran resources and support services, veteran-friendly policies, and the size of the veteran student community.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
