University of South Carolina - Columbia: Statistics

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Position Category
#198 of 14,131 In the World
#99 of 2,597 In North America
#87 of 2,496 In the United States
#1 of 37 In South Carolina
#1 of 6 In Columbia
#1 of 1,145 For Sports / Exercise science
Top100 For 24 other topics
Subject rankings

Quick Review

Acceptance rate
64%
Average SAT
1280
Average ACT
30
Aid receiving
98%
Undergraduates
27,343
Graduates
8,310
Male:Female Ratio
42:58
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 64% and is among the top 25% 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 64% 59% 67%
Applicants 42,188 16,818 25,370
Admissions 27,022 9,970 17,052
Freshmen enrolled full time 6,567 2,586 3,981
Freshmen enrolled part time 7 5 2

18,584 students enrolled in some distance education courses.

3,171 enrolled exclusively in distance education.

SAT scores

Among admitted applicants
2,184 or 33%
submitted SAT

25% of them
had 1180
or below

75% of them
had 1380
or below

Typical SAT scores of first-years in the University of South Carolina - Columbia are 1180-1380 (middle 50% range).

ACT scores

Among admitted applicants
1,125 or 17%
submitted ACT

25% of them
had 27
or below

75% of them
had 32
or below

Typical ACT scores of first-years in the University of South Carolina - Columbia are 27-32 (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 24827 (70%)
Black or African American 3576 (10%)
Hispanic 1917 (5%)
Nonresident Alien 1794 (5%)
Asian 1439 (4%)
Two or more races 1411 (4%)
Race or Ethnicity unknown 613 (2%)
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 23 (0.1%)
American Indian or Alaska Native 18 (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
$6,880
Students receiving aid
98%

Tuition and fees

UndergraduatesGraduates
Tuition in-district $12,288$13,374
Tuition in-state $12,288$13,374
Tuition out-of-state $33,528$29,760
Fee in-district $400$400
Fee in-state $400$400
Fee out-of-state $400$400

Room and board costs

Dormitory capacity 9,377
Combined charge for room and board $11,780
Room charge $7,360
Meal charge $4,420

University of South Carolina - Columbia majors

University of South Carolina - Columbia has granted 6,340 bachelor's degrees across 82 programs, 1,740 master's across 86 programs, and 865 doctorate degrees across 63 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at University of South Carolina - Columbia.

Major Associate Bachelor Master Doctoral
Public Health, General 438 12 5
Finance, General 439
Biology & Biological Sciences, General 366 4 7
Sport and Fitness Administration & Management 290 49 2
Experimental Psychology 329 2 1
Business Administration and Management, General 143 155 12
International Business & Trade & Commerce 128 111
Registered Nursing & Registered Nurse 232
Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology 192 31 8
Marketing & Marketing Management, General 231
Mechanical Engineering 183 14 12
Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement Administration 195 6
Law 200
Medicine 198
Social Work 43 149 1
Political Science and Government, General 185 1
Accounting 115 58
Hospitality Administration & Management, General 131 21
Library and Information Science 147 2
Computer and Information Sciences, General 142
Management Science 138
Retailing and Retail Operations 137
Public Relations & Image Management 117
Liberal Arts and Sciences & Liberal Studies 1 112
Mass Communication & Media Studies 105 7
Pharmacy 102
Film & Video and Photographic Arts, Other 89 5
Civil Engineering, General 72 14 4
Economics, General 86 3 1
Digital Communication and Media & Multimedia 86
Advertising 83
Educational Leadership and Administration, General 72 9
Chemical Engineering 56 5 18
Elementary Education and Teaching 64 15
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Other 77
Early Childhood Education and Teaching 76
Education, General 72 3
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 72
History, General 66 1 5
Information Technology 72
English Language and Literature, General 64 4 3
Insurance 66
Music, General 53 10
Speech-Language Pathology & Pathologist 62
Curriculum and Instruction 60
Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography 55 5
Mathematics, General 44 3 6
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 47 4 1
Non-Profit & Public & Organizational Management 52
Chemistry, General 25 6 20
Family Practice Nurse & Nursing 50
Computer Engineering, General 40 5
Electrical and Electronics Engineering 38 3 4
Athletic Training & Trainer 44
Journalism 26 18
Nursing Administration 43
Broadcast Journalism 41
College Student Counseling and Personnel Services 40
Fine & Studio Arts, General 36 4
Business & Managerial Economics 39
Human Resources Management & Personnel Administration, General 38
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching 10 25 3
Secondary Education and Teaching 38
International Relations and Affairs 34 1
Nurse Anesthetist 35
Tourism and Travel Services Management 35
Computer Science 28 5
Physical Therapy & Therapist 30
Anthropology, General 25 3 1
Environmental Studies 29
Physician Assistant 29
Public Health Education and Promotion 22 7
Junior High & Intermediate & Middle School Education and Teaching 27
Area Studies, Other 25
Sociology, General 20 4
Environmental Science 23
Geography 15 4 4
Medical Informatics 23
Statistics, General 15 5 3
Geology & Earth Science, General 14 8
Biomedical Sciences, General 11 10
Philosophy 17 3
Psychiatric & Mental Health Nurse & Nursing 19
Business Statistics 18
Music Performance, General 9 9
Critical Care Nursing 17
Hospital and Health Care Facilities Administration & Management 17
Public Administration 17
Real Estate 17
Dance, General 15
Information Science & Studies 15
Epidemiology 9 5
Reading Teacher Education 10 4
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical & Space Engineering, General 6 6
Cardiovascular Technology & Technologist 12
Physics, General 7 1 4
Clinical Psychology 5 6
Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General 7 4
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling & Counselor 11
Public & Applied History 10
School Psychology 5 5
Spanish Language and Literature 7 3
Human & Medical Genetics 9
Pharmaceutics and Drug Design 1 8
Educational Evaluation and Research 3 5
Environmental Health 1 7
Russian Language and Literature 8
Special Education and Teaching, General 3 5
Art Teacher Education 6 1
Biostatistics 4 3
Entrepreneurship & Entrepreneurial Studies 7
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other 7
Nursing Practice 7
Creative Writing 6
Film & Cinema & Media Studies 6
Music Teacher Education 5 1
Applied Statistics, General 5
Linguistics 4 1
Music, Other 5
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Other 5
Women's Studies 5
Chinese Studies 4
Comparative Literature 1 2 1
Educational & Instructional Technology 4
Nuclear Engineering 3 1
African-American & Black Studies 3
Art History, Criticism and Conservation 2 1
Conducting 3
Counselor Education & School Counseling and Guidance Services 3
Criminology 3
French Language and Literature 3
Nursing Science 3
Audiology & Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology & Pathologist 2
Engineering & Industrial Management 2
Foreign Languages and Literatures, General 2
Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education 2
Applied Behavior Analysis 1
Business & Commerce, General 1
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 1
Education, Other 1
German Language and Literature 1
Psychology, General 1
Religion & Religious Studies 1
Social Sciences, Other 1
Grand Total 1 6,340 1,740 865

University of South Carolina - Columbia has a graduation rate of 78%, which is among the 14% highest for universities in the US.

Total Men Women
Graduation rate 78% 74% 82%
  • Full-time retention rate - 90%
  • Part-time retention rate - 56%

Publications & Citations

University of South Carolina - Columbia is a world-class research university with 78,626 scientific papers published and 2,156,797 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
78,626
Citations
2,156,797

Publication / Citation count by topic

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
40,585 / 1,074,380
Biology
40,360 / 1,280,351
Medicine
35,519 / 1,034,780
Engineering
32,942 / 961,883
Chemistry
31,597 / 1,021,515
Physics
31,217 / 924,964
Computer Science
30,517 / 888,086
Environmental Science
29,172 / 855,928
Psychology
23,527 / 695,410
Political Science
22,981 / 594,251
Quantum and Particle physics
21,473 / 630,731
Law
21,366 / 569,922
Sociology
20,530 / 553,019
Mathematics
18,918 / 549,791
Philosophy
16,937 / 438,431
Genetics
16,895 / 544,732
Biochemistry
16,731 / 598,613
Geology
16,147 / 494,644
Organic Chemistry
15,839 / 544,436
Geography and Cartography
15,642 / 440,761
Pathology
15,510 / 495,916
Materials Science
15,343 / 485,864
Business
15,203 / 463,457
Statistics
14,525 / 464,832
Economics
12,688 / 317,383
History
12,490 / 291,879
Psychiatry
12,100 / 379,688
Ecology
11,140 / 394,500
Paleontology
10,374 / 327,295
Archaeology
9,734 / 270,484
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
9,663 / 283,029
Public Health
8,732 / 287,335
Optical Engineering
8,204 / 248,760
Linguistics
8,186 / 224,776
Demography
8,006 / 257,077
Social Psychology
7,616 / 272,989
Machine Learning
7,584 / 228,551
Neuroscience
7,488 / 239,356
Development Studies
7,034 / 153,748
Electrical Engineering
6,911 / 178,670

Annual publication & citation counts

Year Publications Citations
1991 727 5967
1992 800 6435
1993 882 6723
1994 898 7264
1995 855 7780
1996 959 8808
1997 997 9584
1998 1068 10810
1999 1145 12910
2000 1161 15459
2001 1170 17290
2002 1519 21352
2003 1468 26208
2004 1547 29022
2005 1685 35162
2006 1794 39242
2007 1794 45468
2008 1980 50788
2009 1980 56980
2010 2015 63039
2011 2204 72143
2012 2332 79830
2013 2853 89629
2014 3017 97602
2015 3028 103471
2016 3157 106061
2017 3255 110075
2018 3415 122194
2019 3543 136206
2020 4080 158014
2021 3880 176094
2022 3761 177589
2023 3698 171861
Academic rankings

University of South Carolina - Columbia alumni

  1. Elle Fanning

    Elle Fanning
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1998-.. (age 26)
    Occupations
    film actormodelscreenwritertelevision actoractor
    Biography

    Mary Elle Fanning is an American actress. She made her film debut as a child as the younger version of her sister Dakota Fanning's character in the drama film I Am Sam and in the miniseries Taken (2002). She appeared in several other films as a child actress, including Daddy Day Care (2003), Babel (2006), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Phoebe in Wonderland (both 2008), and the miniseries The Lost Room (2006). She then had leading roles in Sofia Coppola's drama Somewhere (2010) and J. J. Abrams' science fiction film Super 8 (2011).

  2. Lindsey Graham

    Lindsey Graham
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1955-.. (age 69)
    Enrolled in the University of South Carolina - Columbia
    In 1977 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
    In 1981 graduated with Juris Doctor
    Occupations
    air force officerpoliticianlawyer
    Biography

    Lindsey Olin Graham is an American lawyer and politician 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.

  3. Mike Colter

    Mike Colter
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1976-.. (age 48)
    Occupations
    actorfilm actortelevision actor
    Biography

    Mike Colter is an American actor best known for his role as Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in the streaming 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), Jameson Locke in the Halo franchise (2014–2015), Agent J's father in Men in Black 3, and David Acosta, a former journalist studying to be a Catholic priest in the CBS/Paramount+ series Evil (2019-present).

  4. Darius Rucker

    Darius Rucker
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1966-.. (age 58)
    Occupations
    singer-songwritercomposersingerguitarist
    Biography

    Darius 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 6,231
Carnegie classification Doctoral Universities: Highest 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