University of South Carolina - Columbia: Statistics

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Position Category
#202 of 14,131 In the World
#100 of 2,597 In North America
#88 of 2,496 In the United States
#1 of 37 In South Carolina
#1 of 6 In Columbia
#1 of 1,346 For Sports / Exercise science
Top100 For 22 other topics
Subject rankings

Quick Review

Acceptance rate
60%
Average SAT
1270
Average ACT
29
Aid receiving
94%
Undergraduates
30,187
Graduates
8,345
Male:Female Ratio
40:60
Control
Public
Highest Degree
Doctor's degree
Website
sc.edu

University of South Carolina - Columbia Acceptance rate and admissions statistics

University of South Carolina - Columbia has an acceptance rate of 60% and is among the top 22% of the most difficult universities to gain admission to in the United States. The university reports the admission statistics without distinguishing between local and international students.

Total Men Women
Acceptance Rate 60% 55% 63%
Applicants 52,703 20,662 32,041
Admissions 31,701 11,377 20,324
Freshmen enrolled full time 7,266 2,724 4,542
Freshmen enrolled part time 6 2 4

21,675 students enrolled in some distance education courses.

3,519 enrolled exclusively in distance education.

SAT scores

Among admitted applicants
2,141 or 29%
submitted SAT

25% of them
had 1180
or below

75% of them
had 1360
or below

Typical SAT scores of first-years in the University of South Carolina - Columbia are 1180-1360 (middle 50% range).

ACT scores

Among admitted applicants
1,096 or 15%
submitted ACT

25% of them
had 26
or below

75% of them
had 32
or below

Typical ACT scores of first-years in the University of South Carolina - Columbia are 26-32 (middle 50% range).

Admissions requirements

College-preparatory program Required
Secondary school GPA Required
TOEFL Required
SAT/ACT Considered but not required
Secondary school rank Considered but not required
Secondary school record Considered but not required
Formal demonstration of competencies Neither required nor recommended
Other Tests Neither required nor recommended
Recommendations Neither required nor recommended

Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity

White 26532 (69%)
Black or African American 4019 (10%)
Hispanic 2423 (6%)
Nonresident Alien 1681 (4%)
Two or more races 1582 (4%)
Asian 1566 (4%)
Race or Ethnicity unknown 648 (2%)
American Indian or Alaska Native 25 (0.1%)
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 24 (0.1%)

Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees

The final cost of attendance varies for each student based on household income, residency, program, and other factors.

Average aid awarded
$7,139
Students receiving aid
94%

Tuition and fees

UndergraduatesGraduates
Tuition in-district $12,288$13,734
Tuition in-state $12,288$13,734
Tuition out-of-state $35,572$29,760
Fee in-district $400$400
Fee in-state $400$400
Fee out-of-state $400$400

Room and board costs

Dormitory capacity 10,386
Combined charge for room and board $13,624
Room charge $8,162
Meal charge $5,462

University of South Carolina - Columbia majors

University of South Carolina - Columbia has granted 5,954 bachelor's degrees across 85 programs, 1,766 master's across 91 programs, and 939 doctorate degrees across 69 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at University of South Carolina - Columbia.

Major Bachelor Master Doctoral
Public Health, General 402 16 8
Biology & Biological Sciences, General 376 5 9
Finance, General 379
Experimental Psychology 369 2 1
Business Administration and Management, General 122 179 6
Sport and Fitness Administration & Management 248 50 1
Registered Nursing & Registered Nurse 260 34
International Business & Trade & Commerce 135 117
Marketing & Marketing Management, General 239
Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology 173 31 6
Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement Administration 199 9
Political Science and Government, General 201 2 4
Law 203
Medicine 185
Social Work 33 146 5
Accounting 86 76
Mechanical Engineering 124 23 12
Retailing and Retail Operations 147
Library and Information Science 146
Computer and Information Sciences, General 133
Management Science 131
Hospitality Administration & Management, General 119 4 4
Liberal Arts and Sciences & Liberal Studies 108
Pharmacy 100
Mass Communication & Media Studies 89 8
Civil Engineering, General 72 11 13
Elementary Education and Teaching 75 16
English Language and Literature, General 70 5 7
Advertising 81
Information Technology 76 4
Film & Video and Photographic Arts, Other 76
Public Relations & Image Management 73
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Other 72
Economics, General 63 6
Education, Other 69
Speech-Language Pathology & Pathologist 65
History, General 59 1 3
Chemistry, General 30 6 23
Digital Communication and Media & Multimedia 58
Chemical Engineering 38 4 15
Educational Leadership and Administration, General 49 6
Journalism 19 36
Electrical and Electronics Engineering 37 4 13
Family Practice Nurse & Nursing 44 6
Fine & Studio Arts, General 43 7
Music, General 39 11
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching 10 38 1
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 48
Insurance 48
Mathematics, General 37 2 9
Athletic Training & Trainer 46
Early Childhood Education and Teaching 46
Human Resources Management & Personnel Administration, General 43
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 34 7 1
Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography 36 5 1
Non-Profit & Public & Organizational Management 42
Computer Engineering, General 34 3 4
Environmental Studies 40
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical & Space Engineering, General 30 7
Business & Managerial Economics 37
Broadcast Journalism 36
Business & Commerce, General 35
Critical Care Nursing 29 6
Anthropology, General 28 3 2
Education, General 26 4
Environmental Science 30
International Relations and Affairs 28 2
Real Estate 30
Physician Assistant 29
Secondary Education and Teaching 29
Information Science & Studies 27
Nurse Anesthetist 1 26
Biomedical Sciences, General 20 5
Nursing Administration 20 5
College Student Counseling and Personnel Services 24
Physical Therapy & Therapist 24
Reading Teacher Education 21 3
Tourism and Travel Services Management 24
Junior High & Intermediate & Middle School Education and Teaching 23
Area Studies, Other 22
Business Statistics 22
Computer Science 14 7
Curriculum and Instruction 21
Geography 17 3 1
Neuroscience 20
Sociology, General 16 3 1
Statistics, General 17 1 2
Educational & Instructional Technology 19
Psychiatric & Mental Health Nurse & Nursing 17 2
Epidemiology 13 5
Geology & Earth Science, General 9 7 2
Public Health Education and Promotion 9 9
Music Performance, General 9 8
Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General 10 6
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling & Counselor 16
Clinical Psychology 10 5
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other 15
Special Education and Teaching, General 12 3
Cardiovascular Technology & Technologist 14
Hospital and Health Care Facilities Administration & Management 14
Physics, General 5 5 4
Dance, General 13
Educational Evaluation and Research 8 5
Environmental Health 5 8
Medical Informatics 13
Art Teacher Education 11 1
Human & Medical Genetics 9
Music Management 9
Philosophy 8 1
Public Administration 9
Spanish Language and Literature 7 1
Conducting 7
Music, Other 7
Nursing Practice 7
Art History, Criticism and Conservation 5 1
Biostatistics 2 4
Comparative Literature 1 2 3
Film & Cinema & Media Studies 6
Pharmaceutics and Drug Design 6
Counselor Education & School Counseling and Guidance Services 5
Creative Writing 5
Foreign Languages and Literatures, General 3 2
Russian Language and Literature 5
School Psychology 1 4
Applied Behavior Analysis 4
Nuclear Engineering 3 1
Nursing Education 4
Psychology, General 4
Religion & Religious Studies 4
Chinese Studies 3
Cybersecurity Defense Strategy & Policy 3
Engineering & Industrial Management 3
French Language and Literature 3
Music Teacher Education 3
Public & Applied History 3
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Other 3
Women's Studies 3
African-American & Black Studies 2
Audiology & Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology & Pathologist 2
Data Analytics, Other 2
Informatics 2
Linguistics 1 1
Applied Statistics, General 1
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 1
Criminology 1
Entrepreneurship & Entrepreneurial Studies 1
Music Theory and Composition 1
Nursing Science 1
Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education 1
Grand Total 5,954 1,766 939

University of South Carolina - Columbia has a graduation rate of 79%, which is among the 13% highest for universities in the US.

Total Men Women
Graduation rate 79% 75% 82%
  • Full-time retention rate - 92%
  • Part-time retention rate - 38%

Publications & Citations

University of South Carolina - Columbia is a world-class research university with 92,528 scientific papers published and 3,094,035 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Biology, Medicine, Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Psychology, and Political Science.

Publications
92,528
Citations
3,094,035

Publication / Citation count by topic

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
46,741 / 1,551,136
Biology
46,324 / 1,770,751
Medicine
41,613 / 1,449,306
Engineering
37,550 / 1,349,201
Chemistry
36,051 / 1,394,511
Physics
35,966 / 1,301,283
Computer Science
34,595 / 1,253,110
Environmental Science
33,474 / 1,215,021
Psychology
26,895 / 1,000,419
Political Science
26,328 / 861,796
Quantum and Particle physics
24,751 / 892,607
Law
24,328 / 822,287
Sociology
22,935 / 768,173
Mathematics
20,940 / 755,958
Philosophy
19,301 / 638,551
Genetics
19,265 / 729,576
Biochemistry
18,985 / 793,455
Geology
18,294 / 707,313
Geography and Cartography
17,950 / 647,784
Pathology
17,756 / 681,275
Organic Chemistry
17,745 / 709,605
Materials Science
17,075 / 657,903
Business
17,037 / 658,604
Statistics
15,937 / 632,848
Economics
14,211 / 458,407
History
14,131 / 429,110
Psychiatry
13,821 / 526,237
Ecology
12,588 / 540,773
Paleontology
11,621 / 460,741
Archaeology
10,990 / 395,869
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
10,904 / 390,613
Public Health
9,941 / 399,576
Optical Engineering
9,240 / 352,951
Linguistics
9,234 / 330,120
Demography
8,648 / 338,459
Neuroscience
8,442 / 325,622
Social Psychology
8,409 / 391,219
Machine Learning
8,143 / 316,452
Nursing
7,881 / 284,519
Development Studies
7,840 / 215,902

Annual publication & citation counts

Year Publications Citations
1993 970 8863
1994 983 9552
1995 932 10161
1996 1050 11446
1997 1074 12410
1998 1183 13932
1999 1244 16622
2000 1269 20085
2001 1306 22360
2002 1676 27672
2003 1671 34438
2004 1754 37234
2005 1877 45088
2006 2037 49952
2007 2034 57723
2008 2238 65739
2009 2153 72513
2010 2282 80984
2011 2531 92070
2012 2638 102412
2013 3106 114396
2014 3360 124870
2015 3321 131342
2016 3325 135499
2017 3508 143292
2018 3680 154549
2019 4050 172107
2020 4572 203331
2021 4211 222941
2022 4105 215541
2023 4155 217593
2024 3613 213857
2025 2764 190723
Academic rankings

University of South Carolina - Columbia alumni

  1. Lindsey Graham

    Lindsey Graham
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1955-.. (age 71)
    Enrolled in the University of South Carolina - Columbia
    In 1977 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
    In 1981 graduated with Juris Doctor
    Occupations
    air force officerlawyerpolitician
    Biography

    Lindsey Olin Graham is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, Graham chaired the Senate Committee on the Judiciary from 2019 to 2021.

  2. Mike Colter

    Mike Colter
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1976-.. (age 50)
    Occupations
    film actoractortelevision actor
    Biography

    Mike Colter is an American actor best known for his role as Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series Luke Cage (2016–2018), The Defenders (2017), and Jessica Jones (2015; 2019). He has also appeared as Lemond Bishop in the television series The Good Wife (2010–2015) and The Good Fight (2018–2019), Malcolm Ward in Ringer (2011–2012), Agent J's father in Men in Black 3 (2012), Jameson Locke in the Halo franchise (2014–2015), and David Acosta, a former journalist studying to be a Catholic priest in the CBS/Paramount+ series Evil (2019–2024).

  3. Ainsley Earhardt

    Ainsley Earhardt
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1976-.. (age 50)
    Enrolled in the University of South Carolina - Columbia
    Graduated with Bachelor of Arts
    Occupations
    television presentercorrespondentnews presenter
    Biography

    Ainsley Earhardt is an American conservative television host and author. She is a co-host of Fox & Friends.

  4. Darius Rucker

    Darius Rucker
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1966-.. (age 60)
    Occupations
    composersinger-songwriterguitaristsinger
    Biography

    Darius Carlos Rucker is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Carolina along with Mark Bryan, Jim "Soni" Sonefeld, and Dean Felber. The band released five studio albums with Rucker as a member and charted six top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Rucker co-wrote most of the songs with the other members of the band.

All 100 notable alumni

General info

Alternative names USC
Founded 1801
Motto Emollit mores nec sinit esse feros
Learning humanizes character and does not permit it to be cruel
Colors garnet, black
Academic calendar August to May (August - December; January-May). Also Summer Sessions (June-August)
Total FTE staff 6,696
Carnegie classification Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity

Location and contacts

Address Columbia-Campus
Columbia, South Carolina, 29208
United States
City population 137,000
Phone 8037777000

University of South Carolina - Columbia in social media