32 Best colleges for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in South Carolina

Updated: March 02, 2025

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in South Carolina ranked based on their research performance in Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. A graph of 3.38M citations received by 120K academic papers made by 32 universities in South Carolina was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of South Carolina - Columbia

Columbia

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#69 in the United States

#83 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 61%
Average SAT: 1280
Average ACT: 29
Receiving Aid: 95%

2. Clemson University

Clemson

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#132 in the United States

#154 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 38%
Average SAT: 1310
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 84%

3. Medical University of South Carolina

Charleston

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#141 in the United States

#164 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 56%
Enrollment: 3,117
Male:Female: 28:72
Founded: 1824

4. College of Charleston

Charleston

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#308 in the United States

#347 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Average SAT: 1215
Average ACT: 27
Receiving Aid: 87%

5. Anderson University - South Carolina

Anderson

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#326 in the United States

#367 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 53%
Average SAT: 1190
Average ACT: 25
Net Price: $22,222

6. Furman

Greenville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#543 in the United States

#598 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 53%
Average SAT: 1343
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $32,901

7. Winthrop University

Rock Hill

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#591 in the United States

#647 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Average SAT: 1115
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 100%

8. Coastal Carolina University

Conway

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#630 in the United States

#691 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Average SAT: 1130
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 94%

9. Citadel Military College of South Carolina

Charleston

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#637 in the United States

#699 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 98%
Average SAT: 1165
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 89%

10. Columbia College - South Carolina

Columbia

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#772 in the United States

#841 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 96%
Net Price: $23,920
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $13,961

11. University of South Carolina - Upstate

Spartanburg

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#868 in the United States

#938 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Average SAT: 1085
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 98%

12. University of South Carolina - Aiken

Aiken

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#870 in the United States

#940 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Average SAT: 1085
Average ACT: 20
Receiving Aid: 99%

13. Lander University

Greenwood

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#903 in the United States

#975 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 68%
Average SAT: 1060
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 99%

14. Francis Marion University

Florence

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#952 in the United States

#1024 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 82%
Average SAT: 1019
Average ACT: 20
Receiving Aid: 100%

15. Wofford College

Spartanburg

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1003 in the United States

#1079 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 59%
Average SAT: 1275
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $31,061

16. University of South Carolina - Beaufort

Bluffton

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1022 in the United States

#1098 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Receiving Aid: 94%
Average Aid: $7,735
Enrollment: 2,121

17. South Carolina State University

Orangeburg

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1086 in the United States

#1164 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 82%
Receiving Aid: 97%
Average Aid: $12,130
Enrollment: 3,041

18. Presbyterian College

Clinton

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1151 in the United States

#1229 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Average SAT: 1180
Average ACT: 25
Net Price: $20,058

19. Benedict College

Columbia

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1257 in the United States

#1336 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 67%
Average SAT: 915
Average ACT: 17
Net Price: $18,146

20. Converse College

Spartanburg

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1309 in the United States

#1388 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 64%
Average SAT: 1134
Average ACT: 24
Net Price: $19,438

21. Claflin University

Orangeburg

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1315 in the United States

#1395 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Net Price: $21,232
Receiving Aid: 98%
Average Aid: $12,306

22. Charleston Southern University

Charleston

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1349 in the United States

#1430 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 76%
Average SAT: 1055
Average ACT: 21
Net Price: $21,347

23. Erskine College

Due West

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1390 in the United States

#1472 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 61%
Net Price: $21,982
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $32,409

24. Newberry College

Newberry

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1428 in the United States

#1512 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Average SAT: 940
Average ACT: 21
Net Price: $20,941

25. Coker College

Hartsville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1487 in the United States

#1574 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 97%
Net Price: $18,910
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $25,453

26. Allen University

Columbia

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1509 in the United States

#1596 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 32%
Net Price: $11,058
Receiving Aid: 98%
Average Aid: $13,755

27. Charleston School of Law

Charleston

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1544 in the United States

#1632 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 39%
Enrollment: 675
Male:Female: 32:68

28. Limestone College

Gaffney

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1600 in the United States

#1690 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 98%
Net Price: $21,177
Receiving Aid: 98%
Average Aid: $19,792

29. Voorhees College

Denmark

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1651 in the United States

#1742 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $15,747
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $10,086

30. Bob Jones University

Greenville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1657 in the United States

#1748 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $19,773
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $14,764

31. Columbia International University

Columbia

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1679 in the United States

#1770 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 98%
Net Price: $21,320
Receiving Aid: 97%
Average Aid: $18,883

32. North Greenville University

Tigerville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1728 in the United States

#1819 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Average SAT: 1130
Average ACT: 25
Net Price: $20,264

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
North Carolina	50	20
Georgia	52	42
Virginia	42	37
Tennessee	39	46
Kentucky	29	59
Alabama	29	84
West Virginia	21	119
District of Columbia	13	50
Florida	70	31
Maryland	28	10
Ohio	67	19
Delaware	4	96
Indiana	38	39
Pennsylvania	114	8
Mississippi	15	178
New Jersey	29	22
Illinois	79	12
Arkansas	18	146
Louisiana	27	79
Connecticut	22	9
New York	146	6
Missouri	44	40
Rhode Island	9	56
Michigan	47	4
Massachusetts	75	1
Vermont	12	122
Iowa	32	44
Wisconsin	36	14
New Hampshire	13	82
Oklahoma	22	104
Kansas	22	74
Maine	16	200
Minnesota	30	18
Texas	89	21
Nebraska	15	87
South Dakota	11	330
North Dakota	9	215
Colorado	24	52
Puerto Rico	15	415
New Mexico	9	100
Utah	11	45
Arizona	10	30
Montana	9	166
Idaho	7	194
Nevada	8	152
California	146	2
Oregon	21	97
Washington	39	5
Alaska	4	233
Hawaii	7	107