Masters Colleges & Universities: Small ProgramsPublicHBCULand-grant

South Carolina State University

Orangeburg, South Carolina·Public, 4-year or above·Southeast·scsu.edu
6-yr Graduation
37%
-3.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Total enrollment
3,242
peer median 3,218
Avg net price
$18,268
+$6.7k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
11,017
11,017 candidates competed
Admitted
9,102
82.6% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,042
11.4% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
37%-3.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
4-year graduation
21%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
37%
Full-time retention
56%

Pell equity

1.0pp gap
Pell recipients
37%
Non-Pell
38%

Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates — a notably small equity gap.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 52 Title IV programs, 11 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 2 fail. 39 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
52
Passing
11
21.2% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
2
3.8% of portfolio
Fail rate
3.8%
+3.2pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

52programs
  • Passing11 · 21.2%
  • No Data39 · 75.0%
  • Failing2 · 3.8%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
1
Recoverable
1
At Risk
2
Watch
3
Safe
6
No data
39

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

13
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-5.7%
$48,628 vs $51,545
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-2.0%
$50,497 vs $51,545
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+1.8%
$33,586 vs $32,989
Business/Commerce General
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+6.4%
$54,848 vs $51,545
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+15.0%
$37,940 vs $32,989
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
+21.4%
$40,050 vs $32,989
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
+24.5%
$41,075 vs $32,989
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
+30.9%
$55,513 vs $42,400

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

2
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-2.0%
$1,048
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+1.8%
+$597

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

10
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
131%
$63,500 debt · $48,628 earn
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
111%
$61,500 debt · $55,513 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
89%
$30,000 debt · $33,586 earn
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
87%
$34,750 debt · $40,050 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
82%
$31,000 debt · $37,940 earn
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
81%
$41,000 debt · $50,497 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
76%
$31,000 debt · $41,075 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
69%
$33,000 debt · $48,108 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1941Next review Jun 2026

Programmatic accreditations · 6

Action history · 14

  1. Aug 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Jul 2025Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Probation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  3. Jul 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  4. Dec 2022Removal of Monitoring Status
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Dec 2022Removal of Monitoring Status
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$17,089
$30–48k$17,509
$48–75k$19,611
$75–110k$24,555
$110k+$25,130

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$18,268
+$6,658vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs median $11,610
Federal loans
65.8%
In-state tuition
$11,060
Out-of-state
$21,750

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 2,254 students received $14.1M in Pell grants, alongside $24.9M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
2,254
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$14.1M
$14,061,504 total
Direct Loans
$24.9M
4,520 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
2k
22
2k
23
2k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$7.2M
1,931 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$6.0M
1,848 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$3.3M
193 loan awards
Parent PLUS$7.9M
506 loan awards
Grad PLUS$553K
42 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 925 borrowers who entered repayment, 101 (10.9%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
10.9%
+8.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
925
Defaulted
101
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
20.0%
2017
23.3%
2018
19.9%
2019
10.9%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at South Carolina State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs60
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

298 total completions
01Education
5919.8%
02Business
4916.4%
03Health Professions
4615.4%
04Family/Consumer Sci
3913.1%
05Biological Sciences
237.7%
06Engineering Tech
206.7%
07Security/Protective
186.0%
08Psychology
175.7%
09Computer Sciences
155.0%
10Engineering
124.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
3,242
12-mo unduplicated
3,396
Undergraduate
3,059
Graduate
337

Gender split

Men
43%1,465
Women
57%1,931

Race / ethnicity composition

Black
92.8%
Two or more
2.6%
Unknown
2.6%
White
1.4%
Asian
0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Hispanic
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
284
173 M · 111 W
Women athletes
39.1%
Athletic aid
$4.0M
Total student aid
Budget
$13.5M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$2.3M
$1.6M
Recruiting expense
$85K
$35K
Head-coach salaries
$156K
$74K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 7

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
77 M · 82 W
$1.0M
Football
112 M ·
$3.9M
Basketball
14 M · 14 W
$2.8M
Softball
· 21 W
$593K
Volleyball
· 16 W
$448K
Soccer
· 16 W
$434K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
7.55
20 offenses · 2,649 students

3-year trend

6.842 yrs ago7.581 yr ago7.55Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
54
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
4
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
9
Rape
5
Motor vehicle theft
4
Robbery
2

By location

20total
  • On campus20

Includes 10 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

2
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
1
Stalking
3 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons1416
Drugs1386
Liquor06

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
19.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
128

South Carolina State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions South Carolina State selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectSouth Carolina State University
37%3,242$18,268Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
University of South Carolina Aiken
40%78.5%4,022$11,611Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Savannah State University
28%46.1%3,193$8,683Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Alcorn State University
56%45.3%2,995$14,040Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Fairmont State University
44%98.6%3,305$9,055Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Fort Valley State University
41%65.9%2,897$11,609Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Peer group median41%65.9%3,218$11,610

Frequently asked questions about South Carolina State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about South Carolina State.

What is the graduation rate at South Carolina State University?

South Carolina State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 37% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend South Carolina State University?

South Carolina State University reports a total enrollment of 3,242 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at South Carolina State University?

The average net price at South Carolina State University is $18,268 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at South Carolina State University?

South Carolina State University's yield rate is 11.4%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is South Carolina State University located?

South Carolina State University is located in Orangeburg, South Carolina 29117-0001.

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