US News and World Report recently released their 2024 Best Colleges rankings. And in the national rankings, only two South Carolina Universities were named as the best colleges. In contrast, in North Carolina 16 schools were named on the list. Of course, this list isn’t the be all end all. But let’s face it, looking at colleges can be overwhelming. And having any sort of data as a starting point, if you don’t know where you want to go or what you want to study, is important. I was lucky enough to know exactly where I wanted to go to school from a young age and was able to make that dream a reality. But many students don’t know where they want to go or perhaps don’t have the grades to get into their dream school. There are so many colleges across not only South Carolina, but the region, and nationally.
These rankings are undeniably just one of numerous things that should be considered when making the decision on where to study. Some students prefer a smaller institution, while others want a large college experience. Location plays a big part in the decision as well and of course affordability or availability of scholarships. So which two South Carolina schools are among the nation’s best colleges? It’s the two largest of course. The rivals. If you live in the state you probably have an opinion on which school is the best. Which ones ranked where? You’ll have to keep reading to find out. Below you’ll find information including enrollment and tuition for these as well as the SC schools that ranked regionally. Interested in another school or the full list? You can read that here.
86. Clemson University
Located in the college town of the same name Clemson ranked 86th on the US News list and was the highest-ranked institution in South Carolina. In the fall of 2022 Clemson had an undergrad enrollment of 22,566. Tuition is pricey at $15,558 for in-state students and $39,502 for out-of-state students.
124. University of South Carolina
Ranking just under 40 spots below is the other major state institution University of South Carolina. In the fall of 2022, 27,343 students called Columbia and USC home. Tuition is slightly cheaper than Clemson at $33,928 (out-of-state) and $12,688 for in-state.
