Public · Community college
University of South Carolina-Sumter
Sumter, South Carolina · Small city
- 35%
- Transfer rate
- $7,712
- Avg net price
- 39%
- Grad / completion
- $42,437
- Median earnings
University of South Carolina-Sumter is a public associate-granting institution in Sumter, South Carolina (small city setting), enrolling 716 undergraduates.
About Sumter, South Carolina
Sumter is a city in and the county seat of Sumter County, South Carolina, United States. During the Civil War, the town was an important supply and railroad repair center for the Confederacy. After the war, Sumter grew and prospered, using its large railroad network to supply cotton, timber, and by the start of the 20th century, tobacco to the region. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 38 miles to Columbia, SC
- To the ocean
- 75 miles
- Nearest airport
- 41 miles to Florence (FLO)
How University of South Carolina-Sumter compares
More selective than 65% · #2 most selective of 7 in South Carolina
Higher than 25% · #26 of 45 in South Carolina
Higher than 22%
Higher than 77% · #4 of 40 in South Carolina
Cheaper than 80% · #11 cheapest of 47 in South Carolina
Lower than 65%
Lower than 39%
Larger than 68%
Percentiles compare University of South Carolina-Sumter with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in South Carolina.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women40757%
- Men30943%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White49%
- Black25%
- Hispanic8.2%
- Asian2.6%
- Other or multiracial16%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 716
- Student–faculty ratio
- 18 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 18%
- First-generation students
- 37%
- Students over 25
- 6%
- Median family income
- $29,037
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $67,509
- Endowment
- $6,516,386
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 278 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From South Carolina86%
- Other U.S. states8.7%
- International5.4%
Most first-years stay in state — University of South Carolina-Sumter draws overwhelmingly from South Carolina.
5% 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.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $7,558
- Out-of-state tuition
- $18,238
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $792
- Total cost of attendance
- $17,964
- Average net price
- $7,712
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 74.1%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 39%
- First-year retention
- 59%
- Transferred to another college
- 35%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,439
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $42,437
- Median debt at graduation
- $9,250
- Students with federal loans
- 10%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 31%
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
- No
- Application fee
- $40
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division I
- Varsity athletes
- 227 (159 men · 68 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)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.4 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,845 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.
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: 34% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,841. 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 196 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)
- $42,437
- Typical debt at graduation
- $9,250
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 22%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 46%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.2 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 $13,300 (37%) 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
- 90°F
- Winter low
- 33°F
- Annual rain
- 48.8″
- Annual snow
- 0.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Sumter, SC US station (1 mi from campus).
What University of South Carolina-Sumter 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-Sumter
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of South Carolina-Sumter side by side →
University of South Carolina-Lancaster
Lancaster, South Carolina · Distant town · 34 mi to Charlotte
- Students
- 668
- Tuition
- $8k
- Transfer
- 52%
- Earnings
- $39k
University of South Carolina-Union
Union, South Carolina · Distant town · 45 mi to Greenville
- Students
- 270
- Tuition
- $8k
- Transfer
- 28%
- Earnings
- $34k
University of South Carolina-Salkehatchie
Allendale, South Carolina · Remote rural · 52 mi to Augusta
- Students
- 271
- Tuition
- $8k
- Transfer
- 34%
- Earnings
- $31k
Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College
Orangeburg, South Carolina · Distant town · 34 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 1,539
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 18%
- Earnings
- $36k
Colby Community College
Colby, Kansas · Remote town · 206 mi to Colorado Springs
- Students
- 838
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 3%
- Earnings
- $42k
University of Alaska Southeast
Juneau, Alaska · Fringe rural · 564 mi to Anchorage
- Students
- 907
- Tuition
- $7k
- Transfer
- 26%
- Earnings
- $48k
Colleges near University of South Carolina-Sumter
Central Carolina Technical College
Sumter, SC · Public · Certificate · 2,163 students
Morris College
Sumter, SC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 383 students
LeGrand Institute of Cosmetology Inc
Camden, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 33 students
Southeastern Esthetics Institute
Elgin, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 358 students
Southeastern College-Columbia
Columbia, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 267 students
Coker University
Hartsville, SC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 840 students
South University-Columbia
Columbia, SC · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 450 students
Personal Touch Beauty and Barber College
Kingstree, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 7 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.












