There are 25 community colleges (2-4 year colleges) in South Carolina - 19 public and 6 private schools.

The 2024 average tuition & fees of South Carolina community colleges is $7,022 for South Carolina residents and $12,820 for out-of-state students. The average financial aid amounts including grants and/or scholarships is $5,139. A total of 72,748 students enrolled in South Carolina community colleges (2,910 in average).


South Carolina Community Colleges Average Statistics

19 South Carolina community colleges have the open admission policy with some application requirements such as high school diploma and certificate of attendance. The average acceptance rate of schools having competitive admission is 80.48% and the yield, also known as enrollment rate, is 58.16%.

25 schools offer online degree/programs and 1,301 students enrolled online exclusively.

The average graduation rate is 29.33% and the transfer-out rate is 29.33%. The average students to faculty ratio is 16 to 1 at South Carolina community colleges.

The following table shows the 2024 average academic statistics for South Carolina community colleges.

South Carolina Community Colleges Average Statistics (2023-2024)
Number of Schools25 community colleges (19 public, 6 private)
Open Admission Policy19 out of 25 schools
Tuition & Fees$7,022 South Carolina Residents
$12,820 out-of-state Students
Financial Aid Amounts$5,139
Student PopulationTotal 72,748 (2,910 on average)
Online Student PopulationTotal 26,016 (1,301 on average) in 25 schools offering online classes)
Graduation Rate29.33%
Transfer-out Rate29.95%
Student to Faculty Ratio15.52 to 1

South Carolina Community Colleges Comparison - Ranking and Key Facts

University of South Carolina-Lancaster is ranked first among South Carolina community colleges and Trident Technical College and University of South Carolina-Sumter are second and third position in the ranking.

The 2024 average tuition & fees of the schools are $7,022 for South Carolina residents and $12,820 for out-of-state students. The following table compares the South Carolina community colleges with key statistics by ranking.

2024 Tuition & Academic Comparison Between Community Colleges in South Carolina
SC RankNameTuition & FeesFinancial AidStudent PopulationGraduation RateStudent to Faculty Ratio
1University of South Carolina-LancasterLancaster, SC$18,238 ($7,558) $3,694 1,772 16% 16 to 1
4Trident Technical CollegeCharleston, SC$8,606 ($5,059) $6,646 11,789 23% 20 to 1
5University of South Carolina-SumterSumter, SC$18,238 ($7,558) $3,595 1,537 25% 16 to 1
6Florence-Darlington Technical CollegeFlorence, SC$6,772 ($4,900) $7,685 2,940 19% 17 to 1
7Tri-County Technical CollegePendleton, SC$11,096 ($6,008) $7,116 5,629 34% 19 to 1
8Orangeburg Calhoun Technical CollegeOrangeburg, SC$7,970 ($5,954) $5,655 2,012 28% 13 to 1
9Midlands Technical CollegeWest Columbia, SC$13,812 ($5,916) $4,236 9,091 15% 17 to 1
10Spartanburg Community CollegeSpartanburg, SC$10,110 ($6,198) $4,423 6,224 28% 18 to 1
11Technical College of the LowcountryBeaufort, SC$11,044 ($6,100) $4,720 2,196 14% 12 to 1
12University of South Carolina-UnionUnion, SC$18,238 ($7,558) $2,908 1,098 30% 15 to 1
13Horry-Georgetown Technical CollegeConway, SC$8,836 ($5,476) $4,201 8,137 26% 23 to 1
14York Technical CollegeRock Hill, SC$10,824 ($5,882) $6,358 4,521 30% 19 to 1
16Piedmont Technical CollegeGreenwood, SC$6,923 ($5,675) $5,618 5,315 27% 11 to 1
17Aiken Technical CollegeGraniteville, SC$6,947 ($5,404) $4,249 2,121 19% 14 to 1
18University of South Carolina-SalkehatchieAllendale, SC$18,238 ($7,558) $4,573 745 23% 14 to 1
19Miller-Motte College-CharlestonCharleston, SC$5,000 $5,636 174 50% 11 to 1
20Denmark Technical CollegeDenmark, SC$11,927 ($6,301) $4,467 725 15% 14 to 1
21Williamsburg Technical CollegeKingstree, SC$8,592 ($4,800) $3,099 673 14% 9 to 1
22Northeastern Technical CollegeCheraw, SC$6,024 $5,062 1,466 25% 13 to 1
23Central Carolina Technical CollegeSumter, SC$9,016 ($6,594) $4,435 3,314 21% 15 to 1
-Southeastern College-CharlestonNorth Charleston, SC$24,184 $6,154 196 83% 12 to 1
-Fortis College-ColumbiaColumbia, SC$14,576 $6,564 431 31% 20 to 1
-Southeastern College-ColumbiaColumbia, SC$24,184 $6,012 155 58% 17 to 1
-Miller-Motte College-ConwayConway, SC$25,240 ($10,880) $6,225 235 50% 20 to 1
Average$12,820 ($7,022) $5,13972,748 29.33% 15.52 to 1