Public · Community college
University of South Carolina-Union
Union, South Carolina · Distant town
- 28%
- Transfer rate
- $8,065
- Avg net price
- 48%
- Grad / completion
- $33,699
- Median earnings
University of South Carolina-Union is a public associate-granting institution in Union, South Carolina (distant town setting), enrolling 270 undergraduates.
About Union, South Carolina
When it was first founded, the city of Union was known as Unionville; later the name was shortened to Union. The county's first white settlers came from Virginia in 1749. Union County's population grew the fastest between 1762 and the start of the Revolutionary War. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant town
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 45 miles to Greenville, SC
- To the ocean
- 157 miles
- Nearest airport
- 36 miles to Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP)
How University of South Carolina-Union compares
More selective than 75% · #1 most selective of 7 in South Carolina
Higher than 34% · #21 of 45 in South Carolina
Higher than 32%
Higher than 45% · #18 of 40 in South Carolina
Cheaper than 78% · #12 cheapest of 47 in South Carolina
Lower than 36%
Lower than 44%
Larger than 51%
Percentiles compare University of South Carolina-Union 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
- Women17364%
- Men9736%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White71%
- Black14%
- Hispanic3.0%
- Asian0.7%
- Other or multiracial11%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 270
- Student–faculty ratio
- 17 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 10%
- First-generation students
- 35%
- Students over 25
- 4%
- Median family income
- $25,564
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $66,672
- Endowment
- $2,080,353
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 124 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From South Carolina81%
- Other U.S. states10%
- International8.1%
Most first-years stay in state — University of South Carolina-Union draws overwhelmingly from South Carolina.
8% 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
- $19,112
- Average net price
- $8,065
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
- 62.2%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 48%
- First-year retention
- 64%
- Transferred to another college
- 28%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $34,202
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $33,699
- Median debt at graduation
- $11,000
- Students with federal loans
- 6%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 17%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- $40
- Athletics
- CCCAA
- Varsity athletes
- 117 (87 men · 30 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 (5)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,402 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.
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: 47% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,330. 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 106 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)
- $33,699
- Typical debt at graduation
- $11,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 33%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 37%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.3 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 $6,939 (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
- 92°F
- Winter low
- 31°F
- Annual rain
- 44.6″
- Annual snow
- 2.9″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Santuck, SC US station (8.1 mi from campus).
What University of South Carolina-Union 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-Union
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of South Carolina-Union side by side →
University of South Carolina-Salkehatchie
Allendale, South Carolina · Remote rural · 52 mi to Augusta
- Students
- 271
- Tuition
- $8k
- Transfer
- 34%
- Earnings
- $31k
University of South Carolina-Sumter
Sumter, South Carolina · Small city · 38 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 716
- Tuition
- $8k
- Transfer
- 35%
- Earnings
- $42k
University of South Carolina-Lancaster
Lancaster, South Carolina · Distant town · 34 mi to Charlotte
- Students
- 668
- Tuition
- $8k
- Transfer
- 52%
- Earnings
- $39k
Williamsburg Technical College
Kingstree, South Carolina · Distant town · 54 mi to Myrtle Beach
- Students
- 448
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 24%
- Earnings
- $30k
Northeastern Technical College
Cheraw, South Carolina · Fringe rural · 63 mi to Charlotte
- Students
- 921
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 29%
- Earnings
- $32k
Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College
Moorefield, West Virginia · Remote rural · 102 mi to Washington
- Students
- 225
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 14%
- Earnings
- $32k
Colleges near University of South Carolina-Union
Presbyterian College
Clinton, SC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 852 students
Converse University
Spartanburg, SC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,173 students
Wofford College
Spartanburg, SC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,816 students
Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Spartanburg
Spartanburg, SC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 113 students
Spartanburg Methodist College
Spartanburg, SC · Private nonprofit · Associate · 1,116 students
Spartanburg Community College
Spartanburg, SC · Public · Certificate · 5,006 students
University of South Carolina-Upstate
Spartanburg, SC · Public · Bachelor's · 4,038 students
Sherman College of Chiropractic
Boiling Springs, SC · Private nonprofit · Graduate
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.