South Carolina
State University
Public College in Orangeburg, SC. Six-year graduation rate 37%. Median 10-year earnings $38,262.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $38,262, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. Only 37% finish within six years, so roughly two in three students leave without the credential they enrolled for. Graduates leave owing a median of $31,000 — a substantial load to service on these earnings. Mobility is where this school separates itself: 2.8% of students move from the bottom income quintile to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Debt-to-income ratio 0.81 — elevated (above 0.60)
Admissions
South Carolina State University accepts 83% of applicants, which makes it accessible to most students who meet the baseline requirements. The applicant pool is large — 11,017 in the most recent cycle — so the published rate reflects genuine competition rather than a small-sample quirk. Only 12% of admitted students enroll — the great majority of admits go elsewhere or nowhere.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at South Carolina State University →Academics
Completion is the problem here: 37% graduate within six years. Retention is weak: only 56% of full-time first-years return, so roughly two in five leave after one year. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. Transfer-out runs to 27% — common enough at this school that the completion rate is measuring a smaller group than the entering class. Retention drops to 6% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,757 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $17,965 annually once grants are applied. The gap between the $0–30k and $110k+ bands is narrow ($16,846 versus $24,523), meaning aid is not strongly need-weighted. Grant aid is widespread — 86% of students receive it, averaging $12,189. Most students borrow — 67% take federal loans to cover the gap.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,029 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $16,846 |
| $30–48k | $16,968 |
| $48–75k | $20,449 |
| $75–110k | $22,587 |
| $110k+ | $24,523 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,856 of these 2,757 students, totalling $12,108,275 — an average of $6,524 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Orangeburg County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)