Cost comparison
Affordable colleges in South Carolina
CampusPin lists 63 colleges in South Carolina. The 40 below are ordered by lowest published in-state tuition, with a median of $9,383 and a median average net price of $11,376 among those reporting it. Tuition, total cost, and net price are three different numbers — the table keeps them separate.
South Carolina college costs by the numbers
- Lowest published in-state tuition
- Tri-County Technical College ($4,448)
- Median in-state tuition (40 reporting)
- $9,383
- Median net price after aid (40 reporting)
- $11,376
- Highest graduation rate
- Clemson University (87%)
- Largest by enrollment
- University of South Carolina-Columbia (38,532 students)
South Carolina colleges by published in-state tuition
Lowest published in-state tuition first. Every figure is as reported by the institution to federal data collections; blank cells are unreported values, not zeros.
| College | In-state tuition | Out-of-state tuition | Avg. net price | Graduation rate | Acceptance rate | Public/private | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tri-County Technical College | $4,448 | $11,815 | $5,807 | 42% | Open admission | Public | Pendleton, SC |
| Horry-Georgetown Technical College | $4,468 | $8,836 | $4,159 | 38% | Open admission | Public | Conway, SC |
| Williamsburg Technical College | $4,488 | $8,592 | $6,055 | 15% | Open admission | Public | Kingstree, SC |
| Trident Technical College | $4,546 | $8,620 | $1,406 | 30% | Open admission | Public | Charleston, SC |
| Florence-Darlington Technical College | $4,636 | $6,772 | $598 | 34% | Open admission | Public | Florence, SC |
| Piedmont Technical College | $4,775 | $6,923 | $11,366 | 33% | Open admission | Public | Greenwood, SC |
| Spartanburg Community College | $5,071 | $10,135 | $6,531 | 28% | Open admission | Public | Spartanburg, SC |
| Midlands Technical College | $5,100 | $14,700 | $4,647 | 18% | Open admission | Public | West Columbia, SC |
| Aiken Technical College | $5,174 | $7,924 | $4,807 | 34% | Open admission | Public | Graniteville, SC |
| Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College | $5,210 | $8,354 | $6,186 | 32% | Open admission | Public | Orangeburg, SC |
| Greenville Technical College | $5,495 | $10,775 | $6,246 | 21% | Open admission | Public | Greenville, SC |
| Northeastern Technical College | $5,664 | $6,024 | $6,913 | 21% | Open admission | Public | Cheraw, SC |
| Central Carolina Technical College | $5,715 | $9,016 | $5,571 | 34% | Open admission | Public | Sumter, SC |
| Technical College of the Lowcountry | $6,156 | $11,916 | $5,903 | 18% | Open admission | Public | Beaufort, SC |
| Denmark Technical College | $6,315 | $11,955 | $19,156 | 13% | Open admission | Public | Denmark, SC |
| University of South Carolina-Lancaster | $7,558 | $18,238 | $9,801 | 25% | 83% | Public | Lancaster, SC |
| University of South Carolina-Salkehatchie | $7,558 | $18,238 | $9,229 | 30% | 76% | Public | Allendale, SC |
| University of South Carolina-Sumter | $7,558 | $18,238 | $7,712 | 39% | 74% | Public | Sumter, SC |
| University of South Carolina-Union | $7,558 | $18,238 | $8,065 | 48% | 62% | Public | Union, SC |
| York Technical College | $8,036 | $13,340 | $5,931 | 30% | Open admission | Public | Rock Hill, SC |
| University of South Carolina Beaufort | $10,730 | $21,776 | $14,656 | 34% | 73% | Public | Bluffton, SC |
| University of South Carolina Aiken | $10,760 | $21,218 | $11,641 | 40% | 79% | Public | Aiken, SC |
| South Carolina State University | $11,060 | $21,750 | $18,097 | 37% | 83% | Public | Orangeburg, SC |
| Clinton College | $11,136 | $11,136 | $11,458 | 14% | Open admission | Private | Rock Hill, SC |
| Francis Marion University | $11,160 | $21,544 | $11,386 | 43% | 86% | Public | Florence, SC |
| University of South Carolina-Upstate | $11,588 | $23,090 | $13,557 | 43% | 67% | Public | Spartanburg, SC |
| Coastal Carolina University | $11,640 | $29,628 | $13,966 | 48% | 75% | Public | Conway, SC |
| Lander University | $11,700 | $21,300 | $15,363 | 50% | 81% | Public | Greenwood, SC |
| Citadel Military College of South Carolina | $12,570 | $38,508 | $20,723 | 75% | 23% | Public | Charleston, SC |
| Voorhees University | $12,630 | $12,630 | $13,335 | 43% | Open admission | Private | Denmark, SC |
| University of South Carolina-Columbia | $12,688 | $35,972 | $22,811 | 79% | 60% | Public | Columbia, SC |
| College of Charleston | $12,978 | $38,296 | $18,960 | 66% | 60% | Public | Charleston, SC |
| Allen University | $14,304 | $14,304 | $10,972 | 13% | 73% | Private | Columbia, SC |
| Winthrop University | $14,678 | $28,676 | $15,343 | 57% | 79% | Public | Rock Hill, SC |
| Fortis College-Columbia | $14,777 | $14,777 | $20,404 | 43% | Open admission | Private | Columbia, SC |
| Clemson University | $15,554 | $40,866 | $22,253 | 87% | 38% | Public | Clemson, SC |
| Morris College | $16,664 | $16,664 | $20,555 | 17% | Open admission | Private | Sumter, SC |
| Benedict College | $17,440 | $17,440 | $18,250 | 24% | 96% | Private | Columbia, SC |
| South University-Columbia | $18,145 | $18,145 | $27,693 | 23% | Open admission | Private | Columbia, SC |
| Claflin University | $18,282 | $18,282 | $17,800 | 52% | 65% | Private | Orangeburg, SC |
“Open admission” means the college reports an open-admission policy to the federal IPEDS survey (2024-25), or reported admitting every applicant. Programs such as nursing can still have their own entry requirements, so confirm with the college.
What the South Carolina cost data shows
- Tri-County Technical College has the lowest published in-state tuition on this page at $4,448 per year. Published tuition is the sticker price and excludes housing, food, books, and fees.
- Median published in-state tuition is $7,558 across the public colleges here and $15,721 across the private ones — a $8,163 difference at sticker price. Private colleges often discount heavily, so compare net price before ruling one out.
- Median average net price is $11,376 across the 40 colleges here that report it. Net price includes housing and other costs, so it can exceed tuition alone.
How this list was built
This page lists colleges CampusPin holds for South Carolina, sorted by published in-state tuition, lowest first. That sort is the only ranking applied — there is no CampusPin score, no editorial ordering, and no “#1 cheapest” claim.
Published tuition is the sticker price for instruction. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, and fees. Average net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid, reported to federal collections for a prior entering class. Net price is an average across a whole cohort and varies substantially by family income, so treat it as a comparison tool between colleges rather than a prediction of your own bill.
Figures come from the institution’s federal reporting (63 of 63 South Carolina institutions report in-state tuition). Always confirm current costs with the college’s financial aid office before making a decision.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest college in South Carolina?
- Of the 40 South Carolina colleges on this page, Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton reports the lowest published in-state tuition at $4,448 per year. That is the sticker price before aid and before housing and food; the college's net price after grants may rank differently.
- Is tuition the same as the total cost of college?
- No. Published tuition covers instruction only. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, transportation, and fees. Net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid was applied, and across the 40 South Carolina colleges reporting it here the median is $11,376. Compare all three before deciding a college is or isn't affordable.
- Are public colleges cheaper than private colleges in South Carolina?
- At sticker price, yes on this page: median published in-state tuition is $7,558 at the public colleges listed and $15,721 at the private ones. Private colleges typically discount more heavily through institutional grants, so the gap in net price is usually much smaller than the gap in tuition.
- Will I personally pay these amounts at a South Carolina college?
- Almost certainly not exactly. Net price varies widely by family income, and the figures here are averages across a previous entering class reported to federal collections. Use them to compare colleges against each other, then run the numbers for your own situation with the net price estimator and confirm with each financial aid office.
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Data sources & methodology
Cost, aid, and outcome figures for South Carolina colleges are compiled from federal datasets and each institution's own reporting.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. Affordable Colleges in South Carolina. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/affordable-colleges/south-carolina