University of South Carolina-Columbia
Columbia, SC · Public · Graduate degree-granting
A public institution in Columbia, South Carolina, accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges, University of South Carolina-Columbia serves students across multiple degree programs. With 29,820 students, it is a large institution. Graduates earn a median of $62,177 ten years after enrollment, which is 53% above the national median of $40,747. The graduation rate is 78.3%. On the financial side, median graduate debt is $21,500, yielding an earnings-to-debt ratio of 2.89x. The average net price after financial aid is $22,811 per year. The most popular programs include Finance, Public Health, Clinical Psychology, Biology, and Marketing.
Key Outcomes
Median Earnings (10yr)
$62,177
Graduation Rate
78.3%
Median Debt
$21,500
Average Net Price
$22,811
Earnings-to-Cost Ratio
0.68x
Earnings-to-Debt Ratio
2.89x
Admissions & Enrollment
Total Enrollment
29,820
Admission Rate
60.2%
Average SAT
1297
Retention Rate
92.2%
Cost
In-State Tuition
$12,688
Out-of-State Tuition
$35,972
Pell Grant Rate
19.1%
Federal Loan Rate
41.1%
Net Cost by Family Income
Income $0–$30K
$12,634
Income $30K–$48K
$14,953
Income $48K–$75K
$19,859
Income $110K+
$28,125
Student Demographics
Women
55.6%
White
72.3%
Black
9.7%
Hispanic
6.8%
Asian
4.3%
Two or More Races
4.4%
Student Loan Performance
Repayment Rate (3yr)
66.8%
Accreditations
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics — Dietetics (DIET) - Coordinated Program in Dietetics (Preaccredited)
- Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education — Institutional Accreditation (Preaccredited)
- Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education — Pharmacy (PHAR) - Professional degree programs (Accredited)
- American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar — Law (LAW) - Professional schools (Accredited)
- American Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education — Physical Therapy (PT) - Professional programs for the physical therapist (Accredited)
- American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation — Clinical Psychology (CLPSY) - PhD Doctoral programs, Professional Psychology (IPSY) - Predoctoral internship programs, School Psychology (SCPSY) - PhD Doctoral programs (Accredited)
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology — Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs (Accredited)
- Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education — Health Services Administration (HSA) - Graduate programs in health services administration (Accredited)
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education — Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels, Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels, Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels (Accredited)
- Commission on English Language Program Accreditation — English Language (Accredited)
- Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs — Nurse Anesthesia (ANEST) - Institutions and programs at the master's degree, post master's certificate or doctoral degree levels (Accredited)
- Council on Education for Public Health — Public Health (PHBG) - Baccalaureate and Graduate level school of public health (Accredited)
- Liaison Committee on Medical Education — Medicine (MED) - Programs leading to the M.D. degree (Accredited)
- National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation — Art and Design (ART) - Degree-granting schools and departments and non-degree-granting programs (Accredited)
- National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation — Music (MUS) (Accredited)
- National Association of Schools of Theatre, Commission on Accreditation — Theatre (THEA) (Accredited)
- National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education — Teacher Education (TED) - Baccalaureate and graduate programs for the preparation of teachers and other professional personnel for elementary and secondary schools (Accredited)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges — Institutional Accreditation (Accredited)
Programs (212)
Bachelor (68)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Finance | $92,578 | 597 |
| Public Health | $58,715 | 435 |
| Clinical Psychology | $51,090 | 405 |
| Biology | $58,669 | 390 |
| Marketing | $81,945 | 367 |
| Sports & Fitness | $67,705 | 296 |
| Business Administration & Management | $70,527 | 262 |
| Registered Nursing | $80,768 | 241 |
| Computer & Information Sciences | $84,720 | 239 |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | $50,847 | 223 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $98,020 | 217 |
| Political Science | $65,464 | 210 |
| Physiology | $63,534 | 190 |
| Public Relations | $65,248 | 183 |
| International Business | $107,205 | 175 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $91,296 | 166 |
| Accounting | $86,507 | 155 |
| Hospitality Management | $56,688 | 150 |
| General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations | $64,631 | 147 |
| Teacher Education | $43,687 | 146 |
| Liberal Arts & Sciences | $48,990 | 136 |
| Insurance | $96,539 | 109 |
| Communications | $53,247 | 89 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | $40,962 | 88 |
| Civil Engineering | $84,148 | 82 |
| Pharmacy | Not reported | 82 |
| Journalism | $53,294 | 81 |
| Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | $67,202 | 81 |
| Natural Resources Conservation | $50,447 | 75 |
| Real Estate | $84,558 | 75 |
| Economics | $77,536 | 73 |
| Business Information Systems | $94,547 | 64 |
| Radio, Television & Film | $62,214 | 63 |
| History | $45,595 | 61 |
| English Language & Literature | $45,185 | 60 |
| Fine Arts | $39,517 | 60 |
| Music | $45,181 | 59 |
| Chemical Engineering | $98,244 | 58 |
| Ecology | $55,093 | 46 |
| Mathematics | $62,278 | 46 |
| Electrical Engineering | $100,042 | 42 |
| Social Work | $49,401 | 40 |
| International Relations | $54,781 | 40 |
| Biomedical Engineering | $97,927 | 38 |
| Chemistry | $58,462 | 36 |
| Area Studies | Not reported | 34 |
| Sociology | $53,293 | 33 |
| Computer Engineering | $109,116 | 29 |
| Anthropology | $42,758 | 29 |
| Aerospace Engineering | Not reported | 27 |
| Geological Sciences | $70,284 | 27 |
| Statistics | Not reported | 23 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic & Treatment | $61,423 | 23 |
| Information Science | Not reported | 22 |
| Romance Languages | Not reported | 22 |
| Philosophy | Not reported | 22 |
| Geography | $59,472 | 20 |
| Dance | $55,274 | 15 |
| Ethnic & Gender Studies | Not reported | 13 |
| Secondary Education | $45,804 | 11 |
| Physics | Not reported | 9 |
| Religion | Not reported | 8 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | Not reported | 8 |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Not reported | 6 |
| Linguistics | Not reported | 4 |
| Neuroscience | Not reported | 4 |
| Security & Protective Services | Not reported | 3 |
| Psychology | $47,234 | Not reported |
Master (55)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration & Management | $138,445 | 173 |
| Social Work | $56,741 | 167 |
| Registered Nursing | $123,101 | 161 |
| Library Science | $52,842 | 135 |
| International Business | $115,551 | 134 |
| Educational Administration | $68,215 | 84 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic & Treatment | $85,620 | 75 |
| Secondary Education | $56,196 | 70 |
| Communication Disorders | $63,439 | 68 |
| Accounting | $89,511 | 56 |
| Teacher Education | $51,397 | 43 |
| Human Resources Management | $136,605 | 42 |
| Education | $55,759 | 39 |
| Sports & Fitness | $67,786 | 38 |
| Journalism | Not reported | 36 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | $57,024 | 35 |
| Public Health | $70,866 | 34 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $121,711 | 27 |
| Physiology | Not reported | 22 |
| Public Administration | $73,895 | 21 |
| Music | $54,634 | 20 |
| Health Services Administration | $105,165 | 19 |
| Computer Science | Not reported | 18 |
| Cognitive Psychology | Not reported | 18 |
| Business | Not reported | 18 |
| Ecology | Not reported | 17 |
| Hospitality Management | Not reported | 17 |
| Biology | Not reported | 16 |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | Not reported | 15 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Not reported | 14 |
| Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions | Not reported | 13 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | Not reported | 12 |
| Linguistics | Not reported | 12 |
| English Language & Literature | Not reported | 11 |
| Educational Assessment | Not reported | 10 |
| Genetics | Not reported | 9 |
| Special Education | Not reported | 8 |
| Aerospace Engineering | Not reported | 8 |
| Rhetoric & Composition | Not reported | 8 |
| Geological Sciences | Not reported | 8 |
| Medical Illustration | Not reported | 8 |
| History | Not reported | 8 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | Not reported | 7 |
| Fine Arts | Not reported | 7 |
| Entrepreneurship | Not reported | 7 |
| Data Science & Analytics | Not reported | 6 |
| Geography | Not reported | 6 |
| Educational Media | Not reported | 5 |
| Biomedical Engineering | Not reported | 5 |
| Civil Engineering | Not reported | 5 |
| Chemistry | Not reported | 5 |
| Economics | Not reported | 5 |
| Statistics | Not reported | 4 |
| Anthropology | Not reported | 3 |
| Management Information Systems | $106,936 | Not reported |
Doctoral (35)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum & Instruction | $80,374 | 81 |
| Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions | $77,621 | 29 |
| Chemistry | $110,812 | 27 |
| Music | $46,203 | 17 |
| Biology | Not reported | 15 |
| Public Health | Not reported | 15 |
| Electrical Engineering | Not reported | 13 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Not reported | 13 |
| Linguistics | Not reported | 12 |
| English Language & Literature | Not reported | 10 |
| Ecology | Not reported | 10 |
| Educational Media | Not reported | 9 |
| Chemical Engineering | Not reported | 9 |
| Computer Science | Not reported | 8 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | Not reported | 8 |
| Education, Other | Not reported | 8 |
| Educational Administration | Not reported | 7 |
| Physics | Not reported | 6 |
| Social Work | Not reported | 6 |
| Registered Nursing | $121,489 | 6 |
| Education | Not reported | 5 |
| Biomathematics & Bioinformatics | Not reported | 5 |
| Statistics | Not reported | 5 |
| Pharmacy | Not reported | 5 |
| Biomedical Engineering | Not reported | 4 |
| Civil Engineering | Not reported | 4 |
| Computer Engineering | Not reported | 4 |
| Physiology | Not reported | 4 |
| Business Administration & Management | Not reported | 4 |
| Secondary Education | Not reported | 3 |
| Mathematics | Not reported | 3 |
| Cognitive Psychology | Not reported | 3 |
| Geography | Not reported | 3 |
| Sociology | Not reported | 3 |
| Communication Disorders | Not reported | 3 |
First Professional (4)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Law | $93,806 | 215 |
| Medicine | $130,641 | 183 |
| Pharmacy | $128,762 | 108 |
| Registered Nursing | Not reported | 28 |
Associate (1)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts & Sciences | $38,744 | 0 |
Graduate Certificate (14)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | Not reported | 171 |
| International Business | Not reported | 77 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | Not reported | 72 |
| Educational Administration | Not reported | 18 |
| Mental Health Services | $62,547 | 15 |
| Library Science | Not reported | 12 |
| Finance | Not reported | 12 |
| Computer & Information Systems Security | Not reported | 10 |
| Registered Nursing | $139,919 | 10 |
| Business Administration & Management | Not reported | 7 |
| Social Work | Not reported | 5 |
| Ethnic & Gender Studies | Not reported | 4 |
| Educational Media | Not reported | 3 |
| Data Science & Analytics | Not reported | 3 |
Undergraduate Certificate (1)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Music | Not reported | 12 |
Show 34 additional programs with limited data
| Program | Level | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Communications | Doctoral | 2 |
| Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | Doctoral | 2 |
| Chemical Engineering | Master | 2 |
| Civil Engineering | Graduate Certificate | 2 |
| Computer Engineering | Master | 2 |
| Electrical Engineering | Master | 2 |
| Germanic Languages | Bachelor | 2 |
| Romance Languages | Doctoral | 2 |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor | 2 |
| Biomathematics & Bioinformatics | Master | 2 |
| Mathematics | Master | 2 |
| Sports & Fitness | Doctoral | 2 |
| Geological Sciences | Doctoral | 2 |
| Clinical Psychology | Doctoral | 2 |
| Political Science | Master | 2 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | Master | 2 |
| Music | Graduate Certificate | 2 |
| Public Health | Graduate Certificate | 2 |
| Hospitality Management | Doctoral | 2 |
| Public Relations | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Special Education | Doctoral | 1 |
| Nuclear Engineering | Master | 1 |
| Nuclear Engineering | Doctoral | 1 |
| Germanic Languages | Master | 1 |
| Library Science | Doctoral | 1 |
| Museology | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Physics | Master | 1 |
| Anthropology | Doctoral | 1 |
| Criminology | Doctoral | 1 |
| International Relations | Master | 1 |
| Arts & Entertainment Management | Bachelor | 1 |
| Pharmacy | Master | 1 |
| Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Management Information Systems | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
Rankings Featuring This Institution
- Highest Earning Doctoral Physical Sciences Programs
- Highest Earning Doctoral Visual & Performing Arts Programs
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Parks & Recreation Programs
- Highest Earning Master's Parks & Recreation Programs
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Computer Science Programs in South Carolina
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Engineering Programs in South Carolina
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Nursing & Health Programs in South Carolina
- Highest Earning Master's Nursing & Health Programs in South Carolina
- Highest Earning Doctoral Nursing & Health Programs in South Carolina
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Business Programs in South Carolina
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