Best-Value Colleges in South Carolina
12 South Carolina 4-year colleges ranked by return on investment - 10-year graduate earnings per dollar of net price - among schools that beat the state median on earnings and graduation rate.
Quick answer
The best-value college in South Carolina is Citadel Military College of South Carolina, Charleston - a net price of $22,019 against $72,085 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 3.3×, with a 73% graduation rate. Every school here turns a modest cost into outsized, above-median earnings.
| # | School | Net price /yr | 10-yr earnings | ROI (earn ÷ price) | Grad rate | In-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston, SC | $22,019 | $72,085 | 3.3× | 73% | $12,570 |
| 2 |  Clemson University Clemson, SC | $22,032 | $71,513 | 3.2× | 88% | $15,854 |
| 3 |  College of Charleston Charleston, SC | $18,177 | $56,416 | 3.1× | 65% | $12,978 |
| 4 |  Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC | $15,287 | $47,258 | 3.1× | 51% | $11,640 |
| 5 |  Presbyterian College Clinton, SC | $20,154 | $60,194 | 3.0× | 62% | $46,160 |
| 6 |  Wofford College Spartanburg, SC | $23,144 | $68,964 | 3.0× | 81% | $58,250 |
| 7 |  Southern Wesleyan University Central, SC | $16,041 | $47,756 | 3.0× | 52% | $30,550 |
| 8 |  Winthrop University Rock Hill, SC | $16,375 | $47,185 | 2.9× | 61% | $14,680 |
| 9 |  University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC | $22,197 | $62,177 | 2.8× | 78% | $12,688 |
| 10 |  Erskine College Due West, SC | $19,826 | $53,459 | 2.7× | 49% | $36,710 |
| 11 |  Charleston Southern University Charleston, SC | $20,661 | $45,898 | 2.2× | 49% | $34,080 |
| 12 |  Furman University Greenville, SC | $31,764 | $68,635 | 2.2× | 81% | $61,444 |
How we ranked this
From every South Carolina four-year college that publishes net price, 10-year median earnings, and graduation rate, we keep only those that beat the state median on earnings and that graduate at least 45% of students (or the state median grad rate, whichever is higher). We then rank by ROI = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price - the dollars of graduate earnings each dollar of net price buys - highest first. This rewards genuine return on investment rather than the cheapest sticker price, and the 4-year + outcome guards keep out the low-completion and 2-year outliers a pure price sort surfaces. Colleges missing any of the three figures are excluded, never estimated. Minimum 5 qualifying schools required to publish a page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value college in South Carolina?+
Citadel Military College of South Carolina in Charleston has the highest return on investment among South Carolina 4-year colleges that beat the state median on outcomes: a net price of $22,019 against $72,085 in 10-year median earnings - an ROI of 3.3× (dollars earned per dollar of annual net price) - with a 73% graduation rate.
What does "net price" mean?+
Net price is the average annual cost students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the full cost of attendance - a far better affordability measure than sticker tuition. We use the College Scorecard average net price.
How is "best value" defined here?+
Value means return on investment, not cheapness. Among South Carolina four-year colleges that beat the state median on BOTH 10-year graduate earnings and graduation rate (and graduate at least 45% of students), we rank by the ROI ratio = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price. The school that turns each tuition dollar into the most graduate earnings ranks first.
Is the cheapest college always the best value?+
No. A rock-bottom price that leads to low earnings is worse value than a moderate price that leads to high earnings. That is exactly why we rank by the earnings-to-net-price ratio rather than by lowest price, and require above-median earnings and graduation rates first. Colleges missing net price, earnings, or graduation data are excluded rather than estimated.
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Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · IPEDS. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “-” and never estimated. GetInto.College does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.