Public · University

University of South Carolina Aiken

Aiken, South Carolina · Large suburb

#4 best value in South Carolina
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.

PublicMidsize · 2,962 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 79% admitNCAA Division II without footballCold winters

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

Selectivity78.5%

More selective than 47% · #18 most selective of 29 in South Carolina

SAT average1120

Higher than 37%

Graduation rate40%

Higher than 22% · #25 of 35 in South Carolina

First-year retention67%

Higher than 24%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,603

Higher than 26% · #17 of 35 in South Carolina

Average net price$11,641

Cheaper than 86% · #4 cheapest of 35 in South Carolina

Median debt at graduation$24,275

Lower than 42%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment2,962

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

3,695students
  • Undergraduate2,96280%
  • Graduate73320%

Undergraduates by gender

2,962undergrads
  • 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)

All students
23%
Low-income (Pell)
37%
First-generation
36%

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)

Soccer74
Baseball46
Basketball31
Cross Country24
Softball20
Volleyball16
Golf11

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.

0.3reported offenses a year
0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Arson
0.3

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.

< $30k
$8,987
$30–48k
$8,435
$48–75k
$11,440
$75–110k
$16,046
$110k+
$17,502

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.

Est. total to a degree
$52,908

$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.

35%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,625
average award, among those who get one

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.

Solid value

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.

Women
$42,802
Men
$56,637

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

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Graniteville 1.2 NE, SC US station (1.3 mi from campus).

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 →

Colleges near University of South Carolina Aiken

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.