University of South Carolina-Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
A 0–100 composite of ROI, graduate earnings, net price, debt and graduation rate. How it’s scored.
Estimated for a typical student paying the average net price over 4 years.
Graduate earnings clearly outpace the cost and debt — this degree pays back quickly.
The numbers behind the verdict
Lifetime ROI: the long view
Cumulative net gain over a high-school-only earner at different career lengths, with tuition and debt interest already subtracted. Built on IRS-verified federal earnings — not self-reported surveys.
Conservative: holds year-5 earnings flat (no raises). Adjust the assumptions, or see the highest 20-year ROI colleges.
Equity & access
Who the college serves and whether the payoff reaches everyone — earnings ten years after starting (IRS-linked), with access measures from federal enrollment data.
18% gap between the two groups
15% gap between the two groups
6% gap between the two groups
Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity. Federal data does not report earnings by race.
Net price by family income
What students actually pay after grants and scholarships, by household income as of 2024.
| Family income | Average net price / yr |
|---|---|
| Family income $0–$30k | $12,634 |
| $30k–$48k | $14,953 |
| $48k–$75k | $19,859 |
| $75k–$110k | $24,478 |
| $110k+ | $28,125 |
How University of South Carolina-Columbia compares
This college against the South Carolina and national averages — higher earnings and lower cost/debt are better.
Graduate earnings over time
Median earnings of University of South Carolina-Columbia students 10 years after entering, by cohort year as of 2024.
Best-paying majors at University of South Carolina-Columbia
Fields of study ranked by their own ROI — earnings five years after graduating against the cost and debt. Click a major for the deep dive.
| Major | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Business | Associate's | $105,852 | $25,174 | +1,011% | Strong return |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Certificate | $157,539 | $44,143 | +949% | Strong return |
| Business/Managerial Economics | Associate's | $101,307 | $23,250 | +941% | Strong return |
| Chemical Engineering | Associate's | $99,912 | $26,241 | +895% | Strong return |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Associate's | $98,758 | $27,000 | +869% | Strong return |
| Public Health | Master's | $89,158 | — | +868% | Strong return |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | Associate's | $91,441 | $23,250 | +759% | Strong return |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | Associate's | $91,024 | $22,497 | +755% | Strong return |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Certificate | $134,510 | $41,000 | +743% | Strong return |
| Mechanical Engineering | Associate's | $88,180 | $22,750 | +701% | Strong return |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Associate's | $87,069 | $23,250 | +678% | Strong return |
| Computer Engineering | Associate's | $87,710 | $25,675 | +677% | Strong return |
| Civil Engineering | Associate's | $87,617 | $26,000 | +674% | Strong return |
| International Business | Certificate | $125,621 | $41,000 | +659% | Strong return |
| Human Resources Management and Services | Certificate | $122,353 | $30,442 | +656% | Strong return |
| Insurance | Associate's | $85,286 | $25,173 | +635% | Strong return |
| Accounting and Related Services | Associate's | $84,344 | $25,283 | +618% | Strong return |
| Medicine | Doctoral | $162,139 | $210,899 | +597% | Strong return |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | Doctoral | $135,032 | $113,000 | +580% | Strong return |
| Biology, General | Master's | $75,329 | — | +565% | Strong return |
| Marketing | Associate's | $77,355 | $23,250 | +498% | Strong return |
| Accounting and Related Services | Certificate | $101,535 | $20,500 | +473% | Strong return |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's | $74,996 | $23,375 | +454% | Strong return |
| Mathematics | Associate's | $74,650 | $22,100 | +452% | Strong return |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | Associate's | $73,342 | $23,000 | +425% | Strong return |
Calculate your own ROI
Adjust the assumptions for your situation — the verdict, break-even and chart update live.
ROI at University of South Carolina-Columbia
Estimates from federal data; your result will vary. How this works.
Admissions & profile
Location
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.
Should this college make your shortlist?
Get our college-ROI brief — new federal data, best-value colleges and highest-ROI majors, straight to your inbox.