Public · Community college

University of South Carolina-Sumter

Sumter, South Carolina · Small city

#4 for grad earnings in South Carolina
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.

PublicSmall · 716 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 74% admitNJCAA Division I

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

Selectivity74.1%

More selective than 65% · #2 most selective of 7 in South Carolina

Graduation rate39%

Higher than 25% · #26 of 45 in South Carolina

First-year retention59%

Higher than 22%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,437

Higher than 77% · #4 of 40 in South Carolina

Average net price$7,712

Cheaper than 80% · #11 cheapest of 47 in South Carolina

Median debt at graduation$9,250

Lower than 65%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 39%

Undergraduate enrollment716

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

716undergrads
  • 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)

All students
39%
Low-income (Pell)
17%
First-generation
18%

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)

Baseball81
Soccer54
Softball26
Track and Field (Outdoor)23
Tennis15
Golf13
Volleyball13
Cross Country2

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.

0.7reported offenses a year
0 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
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
$5,894
$30–48k
$5,582
$48–75k
$8,586
$75–110k
$11,560
$110k+
$12,380

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.

34%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,841
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$36,431
Men
$49,731

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

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.8JFMAMJJASOND

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 →

Colleges near University of South Carolina-Sumter

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.