College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

University of South Carolina-Upstate

SCMedium public institution · Overall rank #374 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks University of South Carolina-Upstate #374 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

University of South Carolina-Upstate is a public university in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where the largest degree families are Health Professions and Business. Access is well above average.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model attributes an addition to the factors it measures and a subtraction to the remainder it cannot explain.

Return is modestly below average. Pell recipients complete at a rate above the overall cohort, and mobility is well above average.

The spread between the lowest and highest net price bands is modest, and the sits below the median for comparable institutions. The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions.

Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study, and the largest program, Nursing, is also the highest-earning one.

University of South Carolina-Upstate at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
67.3%
Six-year completion[2]
43.0%
Four-year earnings[3]
$55,994

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$13,394
Median student debt[4]
$22,310
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$14,836

University of South Carolina-Upstate rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

University of South Carolina-Upstate enrolls 4,038 undergraduates in Spartanburg, South Carolina, as a public university. It sits near the top of the ranking (75th percentile).

Admission stands at 67.3%, against a median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size). First-year retention is 69.8%, against a median of 73.7% at comparable institutions (same type and size).

The six-year graduation rate for that cohort is 43.0%, against the median for comparable institutions (same type and size) of 49.1%. An estimated 47.9% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year rate describes a minority of the people who study here.

Because the graduation rate counts only first-time full-time students who started here, it leaves out the large transfer population. At the university, the four are spread wide from one another.

Access is the strongest (86th percentile), while return is the weakest (28th percentile). Affordability and mobility sit close together in the upper third (79th and 77th percentiles), well above the return pillar.

Access is the strongest pillar for University of South Carolina-Upstate, at the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Affordability and mobility follow, in the 79th and 77th percentiles respectively.

Return is the weakest of the four, at the 28th percentile. The profile is that of a public university where financial access and manageable cost are the clearest strengths.

The earnings picture is the part of the profile that calls for closer attention.

The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores at University of South Carolina-Upstate fell between 1,005 and 1,175, and the middle 50% of submitted ACT scores between 21 and 26. 46.2% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants.

Azimuth ranks the university #204 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients complete at 49.4%, which is 6.4 percentage points above the overall six-year graduation rate.

For mobility, Azimuth ranks the university #334 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $5,508 less than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

University of South Carolina-Upstate rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#374

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 77
Access & reach
National percentile: 86
Affordability
National percentile: 79
Return on investment
National percentile: 28

Top-ranked majors

  1. Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences#30
  2. Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities#160
  3. Criminal Justice and Corrections#179

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / University of South Carolina-Upstate briefing

University of South Carolina-Upstate cost & financial aid[6][7]

University of South Carolina-Upstate publishes a cost of attendance of $25,124. In-state tuition and fees are $11,588, and room and board adds $10,533.

Out-of-state students see a higher tuition figure of $23,090. After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients is $13,557.

That is $511 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The average aid package cuts the sticker price by $11,567.

Azimuth ranks the university #298 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The published cost of attendance at University of South Carolina-Upstate is $25,124. Azimuth ranks the university #298 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $11,618, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $13,394, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $19,325. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,707.

Aid covers about 46% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $13,557, which is $511 below the median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $22,310 in federal student loans. That is $1,081 above the peer median of $21,229 for comparable institutions.

89.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow through the Parent PLUS program hold a separate median of $14,836.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $254 a month. It estimates costs and payments based on your own financial details.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$13,394

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at University of South Carolina-Upstate

Most undergraduates at University of South Carolina-Upstate borrow: 89.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among those who complete, the median federal student debt is $22,310.

The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, so the university's figure runs $1,081 above it. Parents who borrow through the Parent PLUS program hold a separate median of $14,836.

University of South Carolina-Upstate graduates earn less than the peer median and the model expects, and they leave with slightly above-peer federal debt. Federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $55,994 four years after completion.

That is $1,307 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That median sits at the 36th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Completers earn about $5,508 less than the model expects for similar students. That places it at the 35th percentile.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $42,377 on the downside to $80,438 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $55,994. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $22,310 in federal loans, $1,081 above the peer median.

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $254 a month. The return picture combines below-peer earnings with above-peer debt.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $14,836. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $254 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$22,310
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$14,836

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

Estimated student payment · monthly
$254/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$188/mo

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

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
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / University of South Carolina-Upstate briefing

University of South Carolina-Upstate career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $55,994, in the 36th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $57,301.

Graduates here earn $1,307 below that figure. Graduates earn about $5,508 less than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap in the 35th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth puts the return pillar in the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $6,982. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $12,490. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,729.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of University of South Carolina-Upstate who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $55,994. That figure is $1,307 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the university in the 36th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 1,612 completers. Graduates earn about $5,508 less than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from a downside of $42,377 to an upside of $80,438. An estimated 28.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The upside earnings scenario reaches $80,438, which is well above the institutional median.

Graduates of University of South Carolina-Upstate who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $55,994 four years after completion, at the 36th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The university's median falls $1,307 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

For return, Azimuth ranks the university #1,052 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $5,508 less than the model expects for similar students.

That result falls at the 35th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $6,982.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $12,490. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,729.

The bachelor's degrees awarded cluster heavily in health, business, education and the social sciences. Estimated from the program mix, the typical earnings scenario for completers is $55,994, with a downside of $42,377 and an upside of $80,438.

An estimated 28.5% of graduates continue on to graduate study, based on the program mix rather than on observed enrollment.

The spread between the downside and upside earnings scenarios is wide, from $42,377 to $80,438. These are earnings scenarios, not observed groups of graduates.

At the upper end, Nursing graduates earn a median of $79,947 four years after completion, from 309 degrees awarded. Computer and Information Sciences follows at $67,286 with 44 degrees awarded. Business Administration and Management graduates earn $61,967.

University of South Carolina-Upstate graduates earn about $5,508 less than the model expects for similar students. The median federal student debt for borrowers who finish is $22,310, which is $1,081 above the median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Federal student debt covers only loans the student borrows, not Parent PLUS or private loans. If repaid over ten years, that median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $254 a month.

Parents who take out Parent PLUS loans owe a median of $14,836 on that program alone. Earnings fall short of what the model predicts, and debt exceeds the peer median (the median at comparable institutions).

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$6,982
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$12,490
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$5,508

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / University of South Carolina-Upstate briefing

University of South Carolina-Upstate acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

University of South Carolina-Upstate admits 67.3% of applicants, a figure that sits below the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
67.3%
Approximate lower endpoint
1005
Reported average
1099
Approximate upper endpoint
1175

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / University of South Carolina-Upstate briefing

What are the largest majors at University of South Carolina-Upstate?[12]

Nursing is the largest program and the highest-earning one, with 309 degrees awarded and median earnings of $79,947 four years after completion. Azimuth ranks it #188 nationally within its field.

Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn $67,286, from a smaller cohort of 44 degrees awarded. Business Administration and Management follows at $61,967 with 58 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks it #272 nationally.

At the more moderate end, Criminal Justice awards 103 degrees and posts median earnings of $48,209. Teacher Education graduates earn $42,119 from 76 degrees awarded.

The spread between the top-earning program and the more moderate ones is wide, and the largest programs are not all the best-paid.

University of South Carolina-Upstate has 11 nationally ranked bachelor's programs. Health Professions accounts for 28.4% of degrees awarded, followed by Business at 12.4%.

Nursing is the largest single program, with 309 degrees awarded a year. Azimuth ranks it #188 nationally in its field, and its completers earn a median of $79,947 four years after completion. It is also the highest-earning program at the university.

University of South Carolina-Upstate awards bachelor's degrees across 11 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 15 with published four-year earnings data. The program mix is anchored by Health Professions, which accounts for 28.4% of degrees awarded, followed by Business at 12.4% and Education at 8.9%.

The largest single programs are Nursing at 309 degrees awarded, Criminal Justice at 103, and Psychology at 81. Nursing is also the highest-earning program, with a median of $79,947 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #188 nationally within its field and #1 in South Carolina. Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn $67,286, with 44 degrees awarded a year.

The highest-ranked program is Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences, which awards 55 degrees a year and ranks #2 in South Carolina within its field. Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks #160 nationally within its field and #2 in South Carolina, with median earnings of $46,121.

The pattern is one of strength concentrated in health professions, with the largest program also the best-paid. Across all fields, 20.5% of degrees awarded are in STEM. The strongest state ranks sit in Nursing and Liberal Arts and General Studies.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 309 degrees awarded
$79,947
Criminal Justice and Corrections 103 degrees awarded
$48,209
Psychology, General 81 degrees awarded
$45,659
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 76 degrees awarded
$42,119
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 69 degrees awarded
$46,121
Business Administration, Management and Operations 58 degrees awarded
$61,967

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / University of South Carolina-Upstate briefing

What colleges are similar to University of South Carolina-Upstate?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with University of South Carolina-Upstate.

Admissions peerGardner-Webb University77.2% admitted
Comparison with University of South Carolina-Upstate
MeasureUniversity of South Carolina-UpstateGardner-Webb University
Peer earnings · 4 years$55,994$60,516+$4,522 vs University of South Carolina-Upstate
Average annual net price$13,557$17,674+$4,117 vs University of South Carolina-Upstate · higher cost
Admission rate67.3%77.2%
Higher-admission alternativeEast Tennessee State University86.2% admitted
Comparison with University of South Carolina-Upstate
MeasureUniversity of South Carolina-UpstateEast Tennessee State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$55,994$53,033-$2,961 vs University of South Carolina-Upstate
Average annual net price$13,557$15,983+$2,426 vs University of South Carolina-Upstate · higher cost
Admission rate67.3%86.2%
Explore East Tennessee State University →
Nearby alternativeEast Tennessee State UniversityNearby option · TN
Comparison with University of South Carolina-Upstate
MeasureUniversity of South Carolina-UpstateEast Tennessee State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$55,994$53,033-$2,961 vs University of South Carolina-Upstate
Average annual net price$13,557$15,983+$2,426 vs University of South Carolina-Upstate · higher cost
Admission rate67.3%86.2%
Explore East Tennessee State University →
Higher-earnings alternativeHoly Family University$82,892 earnings
Comparison with University of South Carolina-Upstate
MeasureUniversity of South Carolina-UpstateHoly Family University
Peer earnings · 4 years$55,994$82,892+$26,898 vs University of South Carolina-Upstate
Average annual net price$13,557$13,143-$414 vs University of South Carolina-Upstate · lower cost
Admission rate67.3%71.0%
Explore Holy Family University →
Lower-cost alternativeIndiana University-Kokomo$3,968 average net price
Comparison with University of South Carolina-Upstate
MeasureUniversity of South Carolina-UpstateIndiana University-Kokomo
Peer earnings · 4 years$55,994$54,618-$1,376 vs University of South Carolina-Upstate
Average annual net price$13,557$3,968-$9,589 vs University of South Carolina-Upstate · lower cost
Admission rate67.3%86.5%
Explore Indiana University-Kokomo →
Similar profileWinston-Salem State UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with University of South Carolina-Upstate
MeasureUniversity of South Carolina-UpstateWinston-Salem State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$55,994$56,396+$402 vs University of South Carolina-Upstate
Average annual net price$13,557$13,479-$78 vs University of South Carolina-Upstate · lower cost
Admission rate67.3%78.3%
Explore Winston-Salem State University →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

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

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings