2021 Best Colleges for the Money (With No Aid) in South Carolina
There are lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best South Carolina Schools For The Money For Those With No Aid ranking.
Our analysis looked at 32 schools to determine which ones were the best for overall value for the money with no aid in South Carolina. It's important to note that this isn't just a listing of colleges and universities with the lowest sticker price. Instead, this ranking identifies schools that offer a high quality educational experience at a lower-than-expected price. So it is possible that College A may rank better than College B, while College B is less expensive to attend.
Get more details on our ranking methodology.
When determining average cost, we look at total expenses, such as tuition, fees, books and supplies, room and board, and other living expenses. This gives a rough estimation of how much money you can expect to pay out-of-pocket or through loans each year.
Featured schools near , edit
Custom Rankings
We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location or field of study and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
We've created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering!
Top Colleges for the Money (Without Aid) in South Carolina
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2021 rankings named University of South Carolina - Columbia the best school for overall value for the money with no aid in South Carolina for students working on their bachelor’s degree. University of South Carolina - Columbia is a large public school located in Columbia, South Carolina that handed out 6,966 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Carolina is 4.2 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $28,829 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Carolina is about $121,082. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Carolina is ranked #4 for overall quality in South Carolina.
Read full report on University of South Carolina - Columbia
Request Information
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Clemson University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for the money in South Carolina. Clemson is a large public school situated in Clemson, South Carolina. It awarded 4,676 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Clemson graduates in less than 4.3 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $32,462. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Clemson is about $140,236. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The low student loan default rate of 2.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Clemson did well in our quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Colleges in South Carolina list.
Read full report on Clemson University
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Citadel Military College of South Carolina. It ranked #3 on our 2021 Best Value Colleges in South Carolina list. Located in Charleston, South Carolina, the small public school handed out 628 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at The Citadel about 4.2 years to graduate, and it costs students who receive no aid about $30,022 per year to attend the school. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from The Citadel be around $124,591. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The low student loan default rate of 4.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The Citadel also made our Best Colleges in South Carolina list, coming in at #5.
Full Citadel Military College of South Carolina Report
Request Information
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at College of Charleston helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for the money in South Carolina. Charleston, South Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,399 students in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at C of C is 4.2 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $30,221 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from C of C is $125,719. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
Request Information
A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges for the Money in South Carolina list means Bob Jones University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Greenville, South Carolina, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 500 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.2 years for the average student at Bob Jones University to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $29,521 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Bob Jones University is about $123,988. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The low student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Bob Jones University Report
Request Information
Winthrop University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in South Carolina ranking. Located in Rock Hill, South Carolina, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,004 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Winthrop is 4.4 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $29,754 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Winthrop is $129,727. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
Request Information
Coastal Carolina University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in South Carolina list. Coastal Carolina University is located in Conway, South Carolina and has a fairly large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 1,920 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
It takes about 4.4 years for the average student at Coastal Carolina University to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $25,724 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Coastal Carolina University be around $113,700. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
Request Information
University of South Carolina - Aiken came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in South Carolina ranking. Located in Aiken, South Carolina, the small public school awarded 540 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.7 years for the average student at USCA to complete their degree, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $22,727. This means that the average student pays around $105,908 to get a bachelor’s degree from USCA. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
Full University of South Carolina - Aiken Report
Request Information
Presbyterian College landed the #9 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in South Carolina ranking. PC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Clinton, South Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 228 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At PC, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.1 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $53,610 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the PC is $218,729. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. PC also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges in South Carolina list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Presbyterian College
Request Information
Francis Marion University landed the #10 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in South Carolina ranking. Francis Marion University is a public institution located in Florence, South Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 549 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Francis Marion University about 4.7 years to graduate, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $24,244 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $113,462 to get a bachelor’s degree from Francis Marion University. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
Read full report on Francis Marion University
Request Information
Furman University landed the #11 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in South Carolina ranking. Located in Greenville, South Carolina, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 732 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At Furman, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.1 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $66,626 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $271,834 to get a bachelor’s degree from Furman. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Furman is ranked #1 for overall quality in South Carolina.
Request Information
With a ranking of #12, Wofford College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in South Carolina list. Located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 476 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Wofford about 4.0 years to graduate, and it costs students who receive no aid about $62,678 per year to attend the school. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Wofford is $253,846. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Wofford also made our Best Colleges in South Carolina list, coming in at #3.
Request Information
University of South Carolina - Upstate landed the #13 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in South Carolina ranking. Located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,275 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.4 years for the average student at USCU to complete their degree, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $25,393. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from USCU is $112,491. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
Full University of South Carolina - Upstate Report
Request Information
Columbia International University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in South Carolina list. Columbia International University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Columbia, South Carolina that handed out 203 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at CIU about 4.1 years to graduate, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $37,160 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from CIU is $150,870. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Request Information
With a ranking of #15, Converse College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in South Carolina list. Converse College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Spartanburg, South Carolina that handed out 208 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.1 years for the average student at Converse to complete their degree, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $36,110 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Converse be around $149,495. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
Read full report on Converse College
Request Information
Columbia College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in South Carolina list. Columbia College South Carolina is a private not-for-profit institution located in Columbia, South Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 433 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At Columbia College South Carolina, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.2 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $32,297. This means that the average student pays around $135,324 to get a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College South Carolina. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
Read full report on Columbia College
Request Information
University of South Carolina - Beaufort did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in South Carolina ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Bluffton, South Carolina, the small public school handed out 354 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at USCB about 4.6 years to graduate, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $24,360 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from USCB is about $112,056. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
Request Information
Allen University landed the #18 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in South Carolina ranking. Columbia, South Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 61 students in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.4 years for the average student at Allen U to complete their degree, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $23,932 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Allen U is about $104,583. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
Read full report on Allen University
Request Information
Anderson University South Carolina landed the #19 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in South Carolina ranking. Anderson University South Carolina is located in Anderson, South Carolina and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 648 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Anderson University South Carolina is 4.1 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $44,374 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Anderson University South Carolina is $180,602. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
Read full report on Anderson University South Carolina
Request Information
Lander University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in South Carolina ranking, coming in at #20. Greenwood, South Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 514 students in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.6 years for the average student at Lander University to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $25,070 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Lander University is about $114,821. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
Request Information
North Greenville University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in South Carolina list. North Greenville is located in Tigerville, South Carolina and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 486 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average student at North Greenville graduates in less than 4.3 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $38,570 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from North Greenville is about $164,694. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
Full North Greenville University Report
Request Information
Voorhees College landed the #22 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in South Carolina ranking. Located in Denmark, South Carolina, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 79 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.4 years for the average student at Voorhees College to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $26,336 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Voorhees College is about $116,405. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
Request Information
Claflin University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in South Carolina ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 350 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Claflin about 4.2 years to graduate, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $33,822. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Claflin is $143,405. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
Full Claflin University Report
Request Information
Southern Wesleyan University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in South Carolina ranking. Central, South Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 298 students in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.2 years for the average student at SWU to complete their degree, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $37,896. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from SWU is $158,784. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
Request Information
Benedict College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in South Carolina list. Benedict College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Columbia, South Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 287 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At Benedict College, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.3 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $28,280. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Benedict College be around $123,018. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
Request InformationBest Colleges in the Southeast Region
View Best Colleges for the Money (Without Aid) Nationwide >
All Majors and Fields of Study >
More South Carolina Rankings
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- For our state-specific rankings, we use in-state tuition to calculate average cost. For our national and regional rankings, we use a weighted average of in-state and non-resident tuition.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
College Factual provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© College Factual – All Rights Reserved.