Most Affordable Public Universities in South Carolina
State-run four-year universities, ranked by net price after aid. In-state students usually pay far less than the published out-of-state rate.
12 public universities in South Carolina are listed here, 12 of them reporting a net price. They run from $11,386 a year at Francis Marion University to $22,811 at University of South Carolina-Columbia, with a middle of about $15,363.
The cheapest are Francis Marion University, University of South Carolina Aiken and University of South Carolina-Upstate. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.
Public universities in South Carolina, cheapest first · 12
Average net price per year after grants and scholarships, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where reported. Schools publishing no net price are listed last.
- Francis Marion University
- University of South Carolina Aiken
- University of South Carolina-Upstate
- Coastal Carolina University
- University of South Carolina Beaufort
- Winthrop University
- Lander University
- South Carolina State University
- College of Charleston
- Citadel Military College of South Carolina
- Clemson University
- University of South Carolina-Columbia
← All colleges in South Carolina
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable public university in South Carolina?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Francis Marion University at about $11,386 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.
- What is the difference between sticker price and net price?
- Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.
- How much do public universities in South Carolina cost on average?
- Across the 12 public universities in South Carolina that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $15,363 a year after aid, running from $11,386 to $22,811.
- What does the Pell grant percentage mean?
- It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the public universities listed here it runs from 15% to 70%, with a middle of about 39%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.
Which of these actually fits you?
A list is a starting point, not an answer. Two minutes of questions gives you a shortlist ranked on cost, academics, size and location — with the reaches labelled honestly.
Find your match — free