Cheapest Colleges in South Carolina
Sticker prices at the 29 four-year colleges we rank in South Carolina run from $10,730 to $59,770 a year in tuition and fees, a gap of $49,040 between the cheapest school and the most expensive one.
The 12 public colleges here charge a median of $11,670 a year, $1,730 (17%) above the national public median of $9,940. The 17 private nonprofit colleges on the list charge a median of $29,800, under the $39,582 national private median. Sticker price alone rarely settles the cheapest private option, so check the net price column.
University of South Carolina Beaufort ranks first at $10,730, ahead of University of South Carolina Aiken ($10,760) and South Carolina State University ($11,060).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree (public, private nonprofit and for-profit)
- Ranked by in-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in South Carolina
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported in-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; South Carolina has 29
- Data period
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 29 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | University of South Carolina Beaufort Bluffton, SC Public · 4-year | $10,730 | $21,776 | $14,656 | 36% | 2,052 |
| 2 | University of South Carolina Aiken Aiken, SC Public · 4-year | $10,760 | $21,218 | $11,641 | 40% | 2,962 |
| 3 | South Carolina State University Orangeburg, SC Public · 4-year | $11,060 | $21,750 | $18,097 | 33% | 2,934 |
| 4 | Francis Marion University Florence, SC Public · 4-year | $11,160 | $21,544 | $11,386 | 43% | 2,628 |
| 5 | University of South Carolina-Upstate Spartanburg, SC Public · 4-year | $11,588 | $23,090 | $13,557 | 43% | 4,038 |
| 6 | Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC Public · 4-year | $11,640 | $29,628 | $13,966 | 50% | 10,377 |
| 7 | Lander University Greenwood, SC Public · 4-year | $11,700 | $21,300 | $15,363 | 49% | 3,397 |
| 8 | Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston, SC Public · 4-year | $12,570 | $38,508 | $20,723 | 74% | 2,705 |
| 9 | University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC Public · 4-year | $12,688 | $35,972 | $22,811 | 78% | 29,820 |
| 10 | College of Charleston Charleston, SC Public · 4-year | $12,978 | $38,296 | $18,960 | 65% | 10,558 |
| 11 | Allen University Columbia, SC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $14,304 | — | $10,972 | 13% | 576 |
| 12 | Winthrop University Rock Hill, SC Public · 4-year | $14,678 | $28,676 | $15,343 | 59% | 3,523 |
| 13 | Clemson University Clemson, SC Public · 4-year | $15,554 | $40,866 | $22,253 | 87% | 23,300 |
| 14 | Benedict College Columbia, SC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $17,440 | — | $18,250 | 23% | 1,536 |
| 15 | Claflin University Orangeburg, SC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $18,282 | — | $17,800 | 50% | 1,706 |
| 16 | Columbia College (SC) Columbia, SC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $22,214 | — | $18,408 | 45% | 1,343 |
| 17 | Bob Jones University Greenville, SC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $24,470 | — | $16,641 | 67% | 2,005 |
| 18 | Converse University Spartanburg, SC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $25,240 | — | $23,283 | 54% | 1,173 |
| 19 | North Greenville University Tigerville, SC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $25,800 | — | $21,063 | 55% | 1,819 |
| 20 | Columbia International University Columbia, SC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $27,900 | — | $26,036 | 55% | 716 |
| 21 | Southern Wesleyan University Central, SC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $29,800 | — | $15,464 | 52% | 747 |
| 22 | Newberry College Newberry, SC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $31,100 | — | $21,656 | 45% | 1,479 |
| 23 | Charleston Southern University Charleston, SC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $32,520 | — | $21,666 | 48% | 2,893 |
| 24 | Coker University Hartsville, SC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $33,416 | — | $20,286 | 38% | 840 |
| 25 | Anderson University (SC) Anderson, SC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $34,970 | — | $23,544 | 67% | 3,183 |
| 26 | Erskine College Due West, SC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $36,710 | — | $16,525 | 47% | 766 |
| 27 | Presbyterian College Clinton, SC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $44,910 | — | $20,528 | 56% | 852 |
| 28 | Wofford College Spartanburg, SC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $56,005 | — | $18,732 | 82% | 1,816 |
| 29 | Furman University Greenville, SC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $59,770 | — | $30,308 | 80% | 2,379 |
How to compare these colleges
Start with the net price column rather than the sticker price. Net price is the average a student who receives aid pays after grants and scholarships, so a school that ranks lower here can still be the cheaper choice for your family. The out-of-state column applies only if you are not a legal resident of South Carolina, and only public colleges charge a separate rate.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for South Carolina
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Best value colleges in South Carolina
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Highest graduate earnings in South Carolina
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Most affordable private colleges in South Carolina
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Same list in nearby states
Cheapest colleges in North Carolina
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Cheapest colleges in Georgia
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Cheapest colleges in New York
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All 44 colleges in South Carolina See the national version of this ranking