Public · University
University of South Carolina Aiken
Aiken, South Carolina · Large suburb
- 78.5%
- Admit rate
- $11,641
- Avg net price
- 40%
- Graduation rate
- $45,603
- Median earnings
University of South Carolina Aiken is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Aiken, South Carolina (large suburb setting), enrolling 2,962 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against University of South Carolina Aiken's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 78.5%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 980–1220
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.23
Enter a test score to see where you land against University of South Carolina Aiken's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of South Carolina Aiken's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Aiken, South Carolina
Aiken is the most populous city in, and the county seat of, Aiken County, South Carolina, United States. The municipality of Aiken was incorporated on December 19, 1835. The community formed around the terminus of the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company, a rail line from Charleston to the Savannah River, and was named for William Aiken, the railroad's first president. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 16 miles to Augusta, GA
- To the ocean
- 89 miles
- Nearest airport
- 18 miles to Augusta Regional At Bush Field (AGS)
How University of South Carolina Aiken compares
More selective than 47% · #18 most selective of 29 in South Carolina
Higher than 37%
Higher than 22% · #25 of 35 in South Carolina
Higher than 24%
Higher than 26% · #17 of 35 in South Carolina
Cheaper than 86% · #4 cheapest of 35 in South Carolina
Lower than 42%
Lower than 28%
Larger than 69%
Percentiles compare University of South Carolina Aiken with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in South Carolina.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate2,96280%
- Graduate73320%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,94366%
- Men1,01934%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White57%
- Black22%
- Hispanic9.7%
- Asian1.5%
- Other or multiracial9.2%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,962
- Graduate enrollment
- 733
- Student–faculty ratio
- 16 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 39%
- First-generation students
- 33%
- Students over 25
- 18%
- Median family income
- $38,484
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $76,833
- Endowment
- $36,148,232
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 616 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From South Carolina88%
- Other U.S. states11%
- International0.6%
Most first-years stay in state — University of South Carolina Aiken draws overwhelmingly from South Carolina.
1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 78.5%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 980–1220
- SAT average
- 1120
- SAT reading
- 510–620
- SAT math
- 470–600
- ACT composite
- 19–26
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.23
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $10,760
- Out-of-state tuition
- $21,218
- Room & board
- $9,182
- Books & supplies
- $1,250
- Total cost of attendance
- $21,540
- Average net price
- $11,641
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 40%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 23%
- First-year retention
- 67%
- Transferred to another college
- 36%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $39,689
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $45,603
- Median debt at graduation
- $24,275
- Students with federal loans
- 43%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 45%
About 17% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 986
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 33%
- Housing charge (year)
- $5,476
- Meal plan (year)
- $3,260
- Application fee
- $45
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II without football
- Varsity athletes
- 222 (124 men · 98 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (7)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.1 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (4,022 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$11,440/year × about 4.6 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 35% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,625. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 548 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $45,603
- Typical debt at graduation
- $24,275
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 53%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 59%
Typical debt would take roughly 5.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $13,835 (32%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 92°F
- Winter low
- 30°F
- Annual rain
- 50.8″
- Annual snow
- 0.7″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Graniteville 1.2 NE, SC US station (1.3 mi from campus).
What University of South Carolina Aiken graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to University of South Carolina Aiken
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of South Carolina Aiken side by side →
McNeese State University
Lake Charles, Louisiana · Small city · 72 mi to Lafayette
- Students
- 5,005
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1087
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $46k
University of Southern Maine
Portland, Maine · Small city · 1 mi to Portland
- Students
- 4,222
- Admission
- 79%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1116
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $50k
Winthrop University
Rock Hill, South Carolina · Small city · 22 mi to Charlotte
- Students
- 3,523
- Admission
- 79%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- 1139
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $47k
University of Louisiana at Monroe
Monroe, Louisiana · Small city · 98 mi to Shreveport
- Students
- 5,022
- Admission
- 85%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1116
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $47k
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Kenosha, Wisconsin · Fringe rural · 27 mi to Milwaukee
- Students
- 2,844
- Admission
- 75%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1090
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $51k
Purdue University Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, Indiana · Large city · 3 mi to Fort Wayne
- Students
- 5,484
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1100
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $46k
Colleges near University of South Carolina Aiken
Aiken Technical College
Graniteville, SC · Public · Associate · 1,925 students
Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-North Augusta
North Augusta, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 118 students
Augusta University
Augusta, GA · Public · Bachelor's · 5,613 students
Paine College
Augusta, GA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 388 students
Helms College
Augusta, GA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 183 students
Empire Beauty School-Augusta
Augusta, GA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 73 students
Augusta Technical College
Augusta, GA · Public · Certificate · 3,923 students
Miller-Motte College-Augusta
Augusta, GA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 506 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.











