Public Graduate Good 63/100

University of South Carolina Beaufort

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Bluffton, South Carolina

About University of South Carolina Beaufort

Thinking about University of South Carolina Beaufort, a college in South Carolina where more students graduate in Business than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

University of South Carolina Beaufort is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Bluffton, South Carolina. It enrolls 2,052 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
72.5%
Graduation
37.6%
Net Price
$14,656
Median Earnings (10yr)
$48,088
Enrollment
2,052
Student : Faculty
14:1

Accreditor Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
63/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 10
Value 68
Affordability 72
Selectivity 57

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

University of South Carolina Beaufort admits 72.5% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.

Acceptance Rate
72.5%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Test Optional Applicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether University of South Carolina Beaufort is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Becoming less selective ↑ 6.4 pts since 2019
62.8%201966.9%202083.7%202180%202269.2%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $14,656 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$14,656
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
40%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
49%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$10,730
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$21,776
Room & Board (on-campus)
$12,725
Room & Board (off-campus)
$12,725
Books & Supplies
$1,500
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$5,378
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$5,378
Total Cost of Attendance
$24,353

Application fee: $40 (one-time, due at submission)


Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $11,397
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $10,614
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $13,846
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $19,001
  • Over $110,000
    $20,250

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$3,500
10% percentile
$5,500
25% percentile
$24,000
Median percentile
$23,460
75% percentile
$32,500
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $15,840 ↓ $8,160
No Pell $12,000 ↓ $12,000
Dependent students $12,750 ↓ $11,250
Independent students $16,750 ↓ $7,250
Female students $15,000 ↓ $9,000
Male students $11,625 ↓ $12,375
Pell recipients: 18.9% (4,528 students)No Pell: 14.3% (3,430 students)Dependent students: 15.2% (3,644 students)Independent students: 19.9% (4,788 students)Female students: 17.9% (4,288 students)Male students: 13.8% (3,323 students)Overall Median$24,000
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $8,750, less than completers ($24,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

38% of students who start here finish within six years, and 61% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
38%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
61%
Returning for their second year
What this means: Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $48,088 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$48,088
Earning > $25K
76%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$38,000$41,000$44,000$47,000$49,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$36,700

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$47,800

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$38,200

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$41,200

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$43,300

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $11,100, about 23% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 12.7 pts across 6 years
59.3%1yr66.2%3yr74.4%5yr72%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 72% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 2,052 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 31% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
2,052
Part-Time
10%
First-Generation
31%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 58.5% 1,200
Black 19.2% 394
Hispanic 13.1% 269
Other 5.7% 116
International 1.9% 39
Asian 1.2% 24
White: 58.5% (1,200 students)Black: 19.2% (394 students)Hispanic: 13.1% (269 students)Other: 5.7% (116 students)International: 1.9% (39 students)Asian: 1.2% (24 students)Total2,052

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at University of South Carolina Beaufort. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Town: Fringe Bluffton, South Carolina
Housing
Mostly residential 1,066 beds on campus
Adult Learners
15% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Health graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

University of South Carolina Beaufort offers a varied set of programs: 20 distinct programs across 14 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

2 Programs
2 Programs
1 Program
2 Programs
1 Program
2 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 14 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
14:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$8,659
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$9.9M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$73,952
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

101 instructional faculty across 4 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 20 20% $93,409
Associate Professors 37 37% $75,384
Assistant Professors 19 19% $69,663
Instructors 25 25% $59,526

Pros & Cons of University of South Carolina Beaufort

No college is right for everyone. Here is where University of South Carolina Beaufort is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Below-average net price
  • Reasonable class sizes
  • Wide reach of need-based federal aid
CONS
  • Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
  • First-year retention is below typical

Frequently Asked Questions about University of South Carolina Beaufort

The questions families ask most about University of South Carolina Beaufort, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is University of South Carolina Beaufort hard to get into?
Admissions at University of South Carolina Beaufort are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 72.5%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at University of South Carolina Beaufort?
72.5% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does University of South Carolina Beaufort cost?
Budget around $14,656 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is University of South Carolina Beaufort worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $48,088 a year against a net price of $14,656, about 3.3 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is University of South Carolina Beaufort known for?
Mostly Business Administration, Psychology, Nursing. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do University of South Carolina Beaufort graduates earn?
About $48,088 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is University of South Carolina Beaufort accredited?
Yes. University of South Carolina Beaufort is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend University of South Carolina Beaufort?
2,052 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at University of South Carolina Beaufort?
38% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is University of South Carolina Beaufort a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is University of South Carolina Beaufort located?
University of South Carolina Beaufort is located in Bluffton, South Carolina.
What programs does University of South Carolina Beaufort offer?
20 different programs, most commonly Business Administration, Psychology, Nursing. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at University of South Carolina Beaufort?
14 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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