University Of South Carolina-Columbia

University of South Carolina-Columbia's program mix is anchored in Business, which accounts for 32% of degree output, followed by Engineering at 6% and Social Sciences at 6%. The combination of applied-business strength and health-sciences depth gives the institution a workforce-oriented program signature common among large public research universities in the Southeast.

Across 63 programs serving roughly 7,099 students annually, 52 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold. Finance is the program that combines the largest cohort with strong earnings, making it a central driver of the institution's overall financial profile.

The Finance program graduates 608 students annually with median earnings of $92,578 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #40 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Other large programs include Public Health (438 graduates, $58,715) and Biology, General (369 graduates, $58,669).

On the earnings side, Finance leads with median earnings of $92,578 from a cohort of 608 graduates, and Azimuth ranks the program #40 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Artificial Intelligence follows at $84,720 with 214 graduates.

Several of University of South Carolina-Columbia's strongest-earning programs — including Finance and Digital Marketing — feed directly into high-mobility career pathways where graduates enter the workforce at competitive salaries. Programs like Research Psychology and Digital Marketing, while producing moderate early-career earnings, serve large cohorts and connect to stable regional labor markets in health and education.

The [supply-demand map for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides additional context for how these program families align with national hiring trends, and the [program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) explains how Azimuth evaluates individual programs. ```

University of South Carolina-Columbia prices its education across income levels in a pattern typical of large public research universities. Low-income families pay approximately $12,634 per year in net price, middle-income families see annual costs around $19,859, and higher-income families pay closer to $28,125.

Azimuth ranks University of South Carolina-Columbia #805 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown.

Need-based aid plays a meaningful role in closing the gap between the published cost of attendance of $31,638 and what families actually pay. The university participates in federal, state, and institutional aid programs, and students apply through the FAFSA.

For families weighing the [net price illusion](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) — the difference between sticker price and what households actually pay — the income-band figures above are the more relevant starting point than the headline cost of attendance. Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $21,500, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $31,393; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the [Parent PLUS risk framework](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) for how household context shapes PLUS decisions.

For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $67,741, median federal debt of $21,500 projects to a monthly payment of about $243 under standard ten-year repayment. For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use [Azimuth's Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Graduates of University of South Carolina-Columbia earn median earnings of $67,741 four years after enrollment, placing University of South Carolina-Columbia in the 71.7 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs above the $65,228 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band).

Graduates earn about $9,418 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 22.3 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks University of South Carolina-Columbia #631 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Business is the dominant program family, accounting for 32% of degree output, followed by Engineering at 6% and Social Sciences at 6%. Finance combines large cohort scale with strong earnings, making it a key contributor to the university's overall return profile.

Azimuth ranks Finance #40 among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment, with 608 graduates earning median earnings of $92,578 — 1.1x the national benchmark for the field. The Public Health program graduates 438 students with median earnings of $58,715, and Azimuth ranks it #29 among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment.

Biology, General adds further depth, with Azimuth ranking it #165 among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment and 369 graduates earning median earnings of $58,669.