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

Updated: March 15, 2026

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 3.57M citations received by 123K 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

#68 in the United States

#82 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Average SAT: 1270
Average ACT: 29
Receiving Aid: 94%

2. Clemson University

Clemson

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#131 in the United States

#153 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 38%
Average SAT: 1325
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 86%

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: 3,246
Male:Female: 27:73
Founded: 1824

4. College of Charleston

Charleston

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#305 in the United States

#344 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Average SAT: 1225
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 95%

5. Anderson University - South Carolina

Anderson

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#329 in the United States

#370 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 55%
Average SAT: 1190
Average ACT: 26
Net Price: $24,434

6. Furman

Greenville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#540 in the United States

#595 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 43%
Average SAT: 1345
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $34,086

7. Winthrop University

Rock Hill

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#596 in the United States

#653 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Average SAT: 1115
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 99%

8. Coastal Carolina University

Conway

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#619 in the United States

#679 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Average SAT: 1135
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 97%

9. Citadel Military College of South Carolina

Charleston

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#637 in the United States

#699 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 23%
Average SAT: 1185
Average ACT: 25
Receiving Aid: 90%

10. Columbia College - South Carolina

Columbia

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#788 in the United States

#857 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Net Price: $18,790
Receiving Aid: 98%
Average Aid: $16,451

11. University of South Carolina - Upstate

Spartanburg

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#860 in the United States

#930 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 67%
Average SAT: 1090
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 98%

12. University of South Carolina - Aiken

Aiken

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#869 in the United States

#939 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Average SAT: 1100
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 96%

13. Lander University

Greenwood

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#902 in the United States

#974 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 81%
Average SAT: 1064
Average ACT: 20
Receiving Aid: 99%

14. Francis Marion University

Florence

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#952 in the United States

#1024 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average SAT: 993
Average ACT: 20
Receiving Aid: 98%

15. Wofford College

Spartanburg

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#999 in the United States

#1075 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 52%
Average SAT: 1271
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $30,481

16. University of South Carolina - Beaufort

Bluffton

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1019 in the United States

#1095 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Receiving Aid: 92%
Average Aid: $8,692
Enrollment: 2,208

17. South Carolina State University

Orangeburg

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1090 in the United States

#1168 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Receiving Aid: 96%
Average Aid: $11,579
Enrollment: 3,242

18. Presbyterian College

Clinton

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1153 in the United States

#1231 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 68%
Average SAT: 1090
Average ACT: 24
Net Price: $20,840

19. Benedict College

Columbia

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1254 in the United States

#1334 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 96%
Net Price: $18,665
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $13,335

20. Claflin University

Orangeburg

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1309 in the United States

#1389 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 65%
Net Price: $17,272
Receiving Aid: 98%
Average Aid: $16,596

21. Converse College

Spartanburg

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1322 in the United States

#1403 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 68%
Average SAT: 1130
Average ACT: 23
Net Price: $19,061

22. Charleston Southern University

Charleston

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1341 in the United States

#1422 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 96%
Average SAT: 1045
Average ACT: 21
Net Price: $21,080

23. Erskine College

Due West

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1394 in the United States

#1477 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Net Price: $23,882
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $31,174

24. Newberry College

Newberry

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1429 in the United States

#1515 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Net Price: $21,943
Receiving Aid: 97%
Average Aid: $24,461

25. Coker College

Hartsville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1488 in the United States

#1575 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Net Price: $19,823
Receiving Aid: 98%
Average Aid: $26,449

26. Allen University

Columbia

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1510 in the United States

#1598 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Net Price: $11,182
Receiving Aid: 97%
Average Aid: $12,927

27. Charleston School of Law

Charleston

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1555 in the United States

#1644 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 39%
Enrollment: 692
Male:Female: 31:69

28. Limestone College

Gaffney

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1601 in the United States

#1691 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 97%
Net Price: $19,369
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $21,504

29. Voorhees College

Denmark

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1656 in the United States

#1747 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $13,307
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $12,239

30. Bob Jones University

Greenville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1662 in the United States

#1753 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $19,624
Receiving Aid: 93%
Average Aid: $17,161

31. Columbia International University

Columbia

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1677 in the United States

#1768 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Net Price: $26,056
Receiving Aid: 95%
Average Aid: $17,009

32. North Greenville University

Tigerville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1721 in the United States

#1812 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 67%
Average SAT: 1150
Average ACT: 24
Net Price: $21,346

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	60
Alabama	30	82
West Virginia	20	120
District of Columbia	13	48
Florida	70	31
Maryland	28	8
Ohio	67	19
Delaware	4	97
Indiana	38	39
Pennsylvania	114	9
Mississippi	15	177
New Jersey	29	22
Illinois	79	12
Arkansas	18	146
Louisiana	27	79
Connecticut	22	10
New York	146	6
Missouri	44	40
Rhode Island	9	56
Michigan	47	3
Massachusetts	75	1
Vermont	12	124
Iowa	32	44
Wisconsin	36	14
New Hampshire	13	84
Oklahoma	22	103
Kansas	22	74
Maine	16	199
Minnesota	30	18
Texas	89	21
Nebraska	15	87
South Dakota	12	331
North Dakota	9	216
Colorado	24	52
Puerto Rico	15	414
New Mexico	9	100
Utah	11	45
Arizona	10	29
Montana	9	166
Idaho	7	193
Nevada	8	149
California	147	2
Oregon	21	96
Washington	39	5
Alaska	4	233
Hawaii	7	106