Public · University

University of South Carolina Beaufort

Bluffton, South Carolina · Fringe town

72.5%
Admit rate
$14,656
Avg net price
34%
Graduation rate
$48,088
Median earnings

University of South Carolina Beaufort is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Bluffton, South Carolina (fringe town setting), enrolling 2,052 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 2,052 undergradsFringe townAccessible · 73% admitNCAA Division II without footballNear the coast

About Bluffton, South Carolina

Bluffton is a town in southern Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. During the 17th and the 18th centuries, the area comprising southern Beaufort County was known as Granville County of St. Luke's Parish. The Yamasee people were invited to settle in the area by Lord Cardoss, leader of the nearby Scottish settlement in Beaufort. The May River Theatre is a theatre company that has performances at the Ulmer Auditorium in downtown Bluffton. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
17 miles to Savannah, GA
To the ocean
10 miles
Nearest airport
17 miles to Hilton Head (HHH)

How University of South Carolina Beaufort compares

Selectivity72.5%

More selective than 59% · #15 most selective of 29 in South Carolina

Graduation rate34%

Higher than 16% · #29 of 35 in South Carolina

First-year retention61%

Higher than 15%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$48,088

Higher than 33% · #11 of 35 in South Carolina

Average net price$14,656

Cheaper than 74% · #8 cheapest of 35 in South Carolina

Median debt at graduation$24,000

Lower than 45%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment2,052

Larger than 58%

Percentiles compare University of South Carolina Beaufort 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

2,098students
  • Undergraduate2,05298%
  • Graduate462%

Undergraduates by gender

2,052undergrads
  • Women1,45571%
  • Men59729%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White58%
  • Black19%
  • Hispanic13%
  • Asian1.2%
  • Other or multiracial8.0%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,052
Graduate enrollment
46
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
40%
First-generation students
31%
Students over 25
15%
Median family income
$36,860
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$75,528
Endowment
$10,545,792

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 503 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From South Carolina77%
  • Other U.S. states22%
  • International1.8%

Most first-years stay in state — University of South Carolina Beaufort draws overwhelmingly from South Carolina.

2% 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
72.5%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,730
Out-of-state tuition
$21,776
Room & board
$12,725
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$24,353
Average net price
$14,656

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)
34%
Graduated on time (4 years)
23%
First-year retention
61%
Transferred to another college
44%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$39,214
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$48,088
Median debt at graduation
$24,000
Students with federal loans
49%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
43%

About 11% 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)
31%
First-generation
33%

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
1,066
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
52%
Housing charge (year)
$5,480
Meal plan (year)
$4,330
Application fee
$40
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
275 (137 men · 138 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 (8)

Baseball53
Track and Field (Indoor)40
Track and Field (Outdoor)40
Basketball33
Soccer33
Golf30
Softball30
Cross Country16

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
6
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (2,208 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.

3.3reported offenses a year
2.0 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
1.3
Burglary
1.3
Rape
0.7

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
$11,397
$30–48k
$10,614
$48–75k
$13,846
$75–110k
$19,001
$110k+
$20,250

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
$61,855

$13,846/year × about 4.5 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.

50%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,275
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 50% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,275. 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 469 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)
$48,088
Typical debt at graduation
$24,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
50%
Out-earn a HS grad
58%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.0 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
$45,044
Men
$54,294

Men out-earn women by $9,250 (21%) 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
91°F
Winter low
41°F
Annual rain
48.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.46.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Beaufort Wwtp, SC US station (17.4 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 Beaufort

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of South Carolina Beaufort side by side →

Colleges near University of South Carolina Beaufort

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.