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Cost & financial aid brief

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# University of South Carolina-Columbia Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/university-of-south-carolina-columbia/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/university-of-south-carolina-columbia/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/university-of-south-carolina-columbia/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-south-carolina-columbia/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-south-carolina-columbia/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does University of South Carolina-Columbia cost after financial aid?

The University of South Carolina-Columbia publishes a cost of attendance of $31,638. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $12,288 and required fees of $400 for the 2026-27 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $17,334.

Out-of-state students face a published tuition of $38,098. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $22,811, which is $7,177 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Financial aid reduces the published cost by $8,827 on average. Azimuth ranks the university #801 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $22,811 at University of South Carolina-Columbia. That is $7,177 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the affordability pillar at the 43rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $21,500 in federal student loans, $1,424 above the $20,076 peer median.

By income band, the average net price runs from $12,634 for families earning under $30,000 to $28,125 for those earning over $110,000.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $12,634; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $14,953; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $19,859; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $24,478; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $28,125.

Pell Grant recipients make up 19.1% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $15,491.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$12,634

**$30–48K**
$14,953

**$48–75K**
$19,859

**$75–110K**
$24,478

**$110K+**
$28,125

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$22,811**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 28% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that for the 2025-26 academic year, first-year students received an average need-based grant of $14,693.

The average total package was $17,598, and the average share of need met for those aided students was 61%. Of the 3,757 first-year students determined to have need, 634 had their need fully met.

The university also reported that for the 2025-26 academic year, 2,944 first-year students received merit awards averaging $4,353.

The published cost of attendance at the University of South Carolina-Columbia is $31,638. For families earning under $30,000, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $12,634.

For the middle band, families earning $48,001–$75,000, it is $19,859, and for families earning over $110,000 it is $28,125. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $15,491.

Azimuth ranks the university #801 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 28% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $8,827.

The average net price across all aid recipients is $22,811, which sits above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $7,177. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, the median federal student debt is $21,500, with about 90.9% of federal aid recipients borrowing.

That debt is above the peer median of $20,076 by $1,424. For parent borrowers, the median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $31,393.

The estimated payment on the median federal debt if repaid over ten years is $244 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing is widespread at the University of South Carolina-Columbia: 90.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among completers, the median federal student debt is $21,500.

That median is above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,424, a narrow gap. Parent borrowers, a separate population, carry a median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loan of $31,393.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 52% of graduates in a recent cohort of 5,348 borrowed from any source. The average cumulative debt per borrower was $34,211.

Federal loans were held by 50% of graduates, at an average of $19,814. Another 14% of graduates carried private loans, averaging $53,477.

The return picture at the University of South Carolina-Columbia is mixed. Graduates earn a median of $67,741 four years after completion, a figure in the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That median sits above the $65,610 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,131. Yet graduates earn about $10,288 less than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 18th percentile nationally.

Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix show a downside scenario of $49,255 and an upside scenario of $94,779. Borrowers finish with a median federal debt of $21,500, which is above the $20,076 peer median by $1,424.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month if repaid over ten years. The earnings sit above the peer median, but the shortfall against the model's expectation for similar students tempers the return story.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $31,393. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $244.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$31,393

**Estimated parent payment**
$399/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$21,500

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$31,393

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$244/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$399/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$643/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $67,741, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**6.5%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=university-of-south-carolina-columbia#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.