Best value colleges in South Carolina
Every South Carolina college we have data for, ranked by 10-year return on investment.
88
Colleges
$16,144
Avg net price as of 2024
$44,461
Median earnings as of 2024
$17,626
Median debt as of 2024
Top colleges in South Carolina
Showing the top 64 of 88 by ROI — sort the table, or use the finder to filter all South Carolina colleges by cost, earnings and major.
| # | College | Type | 5-yr earnings | Net price | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | DR Rating | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College Orangeburg, SC | Public | $57,439 | $6,186 | $10,562 | +667% | Strong return | |
| 2 | Galen Health Institutes-Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach, SC | For-profit | $78,480 | $25,662 | $24,166 | +457% | Strong return | |
| 3 | Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston, SC | Public | $68,906 | $20,723 | $21,096 | +164% | Strong return | |
| 4 | Clemson University Clemson, SC | Public | $70,021 | $22,253 | $21,500 | +158% | Strong return | |
| 5 | Wofford College Spartanburg, SC | Private | $64,206 | $18,732 | $25,732 | +128% | Strong return | |
| 6 | Trident Technical College Charleston, SC | Public | $46,586 | $1,406 | $13,029 | +110% | Strong return | |
| 7 | Southern Wesleyan University Central, SC | Private | $59,748 | $15,464 | $26,000 | +107% | Strong return | |
| 8 | Spartanburg Community College Spartanburg, SC | Public | $46,450 | $2,405 | $6,500 | +102% | Strong return | |
| 9 | Furman University Greenville, SC | Private | $70,046 | $30,308 | $23,250 | +93% | Strong return | |
| 10 | University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC | Public | $63,360 | $22,811 | $21,500 | +85% | Strong return | |
| 11 | Strayer University-South Carolina Greenville, SC | For-profit | $60,858 | $17,979 | $40,621 | +83% | Strong return | |
| 12 | Presbyterian College Clinton, SC | Private | $58,761 | $20,528 | $26,000 | +50% | Break-even | |
| 13 | Newberry College Newberry, SC | Private | $58,790 | $21,656 | $26,805 | +43% | Break-even | |
| 14 | Erskine College Due West, SC | Private | $55,016 | $16,525 | $27,000 | +32% | Break-even | |
| 15 | College of Charleston Charleston, SC | Public | $54,011 | $18,960 | $23,250 | +7% | Break-even | |
| 16 | Bob Jones University Greenville, SC | Private | $50,176 | $16,641 | $16,585 | -29% | Poor return | |
| 17 | Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC | Public | $49,256 | $13,966 | $23,750 | -34% | Poor return | |
| 18 | Greenville Technical College Greenville, SC | Public | $47,651 | $11,713 | $15,392 | -50% | Poor return | |
| 19 | Anderson University Anderson, SC | Private | $49,990 | $23,544 | $26,700 | -52% | Poor return | |
| 20 | Winthrop University Rock Hill, SC | Public | $48,026 | $15,343 | $26,975 | -58% | Poor return | |
| 21 | University of South Carolina Beaufort Bluffton, SC | Public | $47,833 | $14,656 | $24,000 | -58% | Poor return | |
| 22 | Midlands Technical College West Columbia, SC | Public | $45,428 | $4,647 | $12,000 | -69% | Poor return | |
| 23 | Coker University Hartsville, SC | Private | $47,445 | $20,286 | $26,000 | -73% | Poor return | |
| 24 | South University-Columbia Columbia, SC | For-profit | $47,537 | $27,693 | $26,123 | -79% | Poor return | |
| 25 | Charleston Southern University Charleston, SC | Private | $46,381 | $21,666 | $26,471 | -86% | Poor return | |
| 26 | University of South Carolina Aiken Aiken, SC | Public | $45,400 | $11,641 | $24,275 | -93% | Poor return | |
| 27 | Tri-County Technical College Pendleton, SC | Public | $45,088 | $14,670 | $9,000 | -97% | Poor return | |
| 28 | Converse University Spartanburg, SC | Private | $45,046 | $23,283 | $27,000 | -100% | Poor return | |
| 29 | University of South Carolina-Upstate Spartanburg, SC | Public | $44,930 | $13,557 | $22,310 | -101% | Poor return | |
| 30 | South Carolina State University Orangeburg, SC | Public | $44,642 | $18,097 | $31,000 | -104% | Poor return | |
| 31 | North Greenville University Tigerville, SC | Private | $44,516 | $21,063 | $23,082 | -105% | Poor return | |
| 32 | Columbia College Columbia, SC | Private | $42,697 | $18,408 | $22,750 | -128% | Poor return | |
| 33 | Lander University Greenwood, SC | Public | $42,073 | $15,363 | $25,000 | -142% | Poor return | |
| 34 | Technical College of the Lowcountry Beaufort, SC | Public | $43,212 | $14,724 | $10,000 | -154% | Poor return | |
| 35 | Francis Marion University Florence, SC | Public | $41,726 | $11,386 | $27,000 | -159% | Poor return | |
| 36 | Northeastern Technical College Cheraw, SC | Public | $44,020 | $6,913 | — | -171% | Poor return | |
| 37 | Columbia International University Columbia, SC | Private | $36,652 | $26,036 | $20,000 | -175% | Poor return | |
| 38 | Claflin University Orangeburg, SC | Private | $38,842 | $17,800 | $29,000 | -175% | Poor return | |
| 39 | York Technical College Rock Hill, SC | Public | $43,572 | $5,931 | $7,000 | -199% | Poor return | |
| 40 | Piedmont Technical College Greenwood, SC | Public | $41,912 | $11,366 | $15,000 | -210% | Poor return | |
| 41 | Benedict College Columbia, SC | Private | $34,995 | $18,250 | $32,500 | -218% | Poor return | |
| 42 | Central Carolina Technical College Sumter, SC | Public | $43,107 | $5,571 | $9,977 | -228% | Poor return | |
| 43 | Morris College Sumter, SC | Private | $31,875 | $20,555 | $31,400 | -240% | Poor return | |
| 44 | Fortis College-Columbia Columbia, SC | For-profit | $38,082 | $20,404 | $12,547 | -252% | Poor return | |
| 45 | Horry-Georgetown Technical College Conway, SC | Public | $42,823 | $4,159 | $14,250 | -261% | Poor return | |
| 46 | Allen University Columbia, SC | Private | $34,576 | $10,972 | $34,290 | -285% | Poor return | |
| 47 | Spartanburg Methodist College Spartanburg, SC | Private | $32,131 | $14,580 | $12,000 | -305% | Poor return | |
| 48 | Aiken Technical College Graniteville, SC | Public | $41,897 | $4,807 | $12,250 | -320% | Poor return | |
| 49 | Southeastern College-Columbia Columbia, SC | For-profit | $27,932 | $31,941 | $9,500 | -353% | Poor return | |
| 50 | Southeastern College-Charleston North Charleston, SC | For-profit | $25,598 | $31,105 | $9,500 | -395% | Poor return | |
| 51 | Florence-Darlington Technical College Florence, SC | Public | $40,628 | $2,004 | $12,250 | -616% | Poor return | |
| 52 | Paul Mitchell the School-Greenville Greenville, SC | For-profit | $23,322 | $18,272 | $11,740 | -1,061% | Poor return | |
| 53 | Paul Mitchell the School-Columbia West Columbia, SC | For-profit | $23,322 | $18,210 | $11,740 | -1,064% | Poor return | |
| 54 | Paul Mitchell the School-Charleston North Charleston, SC | For-profit | $23,322 | $17,726 | $11,740 | -1,085% | Poor return | |
| 55 | Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Greenville Greenville, SC | For-profit | $21,821 | $20,540 | $6,333 | -1,115% | Poor return | |
| 56 | Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology and Nails-Columbia West Columbia, SC | For-profit | $24,328 | $17,337 | $5,858 | -1,162% | Poor return | |
| 57 | Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Goose Creek Goose Creek, SC | For-profit | $24,328 | $17,230 | $5,858 | -1,168% | Poor return | |
| 58 | Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Florence Florence, SC | For-profit | $16,587 | $21,962 | $8,661 | -1,231% | Poor return | |
| 59 | Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Spartanburg Spartanburg, SC | For-profit | $24,328 | $13,919 | $5,858 | -1,388% | Poor return | |
| 60 | Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-North Augusta North Augusta, SC | For-profit | $16,587 | $18,677 | $8,661 | -1,401% | Poor return | |
| 61 | Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Rock Hill Rock Hill, SC | For-profit | $21,821 | $14,029 | $6,333 | -1,519% | Poor return | |
| 62 | Charleston Cosmetology Institute Charleston, SC | For-profit | $19,805 | $15,548 | $5,655 | -1,531% | Poor return | |
| 63 | LeGrand Institute of Cosmetology Inc Camden, SC | For-profit | $22,906 | $14,427 | — | -1,631% | Poor return | |
| 64 | Academy of Hair Technology Greenville, SC | For-profit | $20,601 | $11,409 | $3,417 | -2,028% | Poor return |
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South Carolina college statistics
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.