South Carolina
Student Access & Success
South Carolina’s four-year institutions receive a good grade in this area, scoring near the national medians in credentials per 100 full-time equivalent undergraduates, retention rate, and the percentage of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants. The state’s completion rate is in the top third of states. Meanwhile, the state’s two-year institutions receive a poor grade, ranking in the bottom 10 states for both completion rate and retention rate.
Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness
South Carolina receives average grades in this area, with a four-year cost per completion ($71,001) and state and local funding per completion ($36,114) in the middle third of all states, while the state’s two-year cost per completion ($62,844) and state and local funding per completion ($33,351) are both slightly above the national medians of $57,210 and $35,476, respectively.
Meeting Labor Market Demand
The median wage of a South Carolina bachelor’s degree holder is approximately $16,700 (or 57%) more than the median wage of a high school graduate; the overall unemployment rate for a bachelor’s degree holder is more than 5 points lower. The median wage of an associate’s degree holder is approximately $9,000 (or 31%) more than the median wage of a high school graduate; the overall unemployment rate is about 3.5 points lower.
Transparency & Accountability
The state’s consumer information sources and public accountability report do not contain information on student outcomes. South Carolina does not track student labor market outcomes, nor does it measure student learning.
Policy Environment
The South Carolina strategic plan does not include goals on student outcomes or efficiency. The state does not have an outcomes-based funding system. The South Carolina Transfer and Articulation Center lists 86 courses guaranteed to transfer.
Innovation
The South Carolina TechOnline Consortium lists individual courses available at the state’s technical institutions, though the consortium provides little information about eligibility or the transfer of credit. There is no comparable resource for four-year colleges. Regarding new providers, South Carolina’s approval process rates among the most burdensome in the country, though its licensure fees are less expensive.
Report Card
Compare with
Four-Year Institutions
SC Nat'l| Student Access & Success | B |
|---|
| Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients | 30.7 | 30.8 |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Rate | 78.3 | 77.9 |
| Completion Rate | 60.0 | 54.5 |
| Completions per 100 FTE Students | 19.7 | 19.7 |
| Risk-Adjusted Completion Points (5-point Scale) | 4 | |
| Complete College America |
| Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness | C |
|---|
| Cost Per Completion | $71,001 | $68,140 |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Funding Per Completion | $36,114 | $41,198 |
| State, Local, and Tuition Funding Per Completion | $82,201 | $76,932 |
| Cost Per Completion and Public Funding Combined Measure (5-point scale) | 3 |
| Meeting Labor Market Demand | C |
|---|
| BA vs. HS Wage Gap (Overall) | $16,669 | $17,881 |
|---|---|---|
| BA vs. HS Wage Ratio (Overall) | 157.3 | 156.0 |
| BA vs. HS Wage Gap (25–34) | $11,591 | $12,703 |
| BA vs. HS Wage Ratio (25–34) | 146.4 | 149.9 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (Overall) | 5.4 | 4.0 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (Overall) | 2.2 | 2.1 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (25–34) | 9.8 | 7.1 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (25–34) | 2.9 | 2.9 |
| Transparency & Accountability | F |
|---|
| Transparency—Public Accountability (5-point Scale) | 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency—Consumer Information (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Labor Market Outcomes? | false | |
| Labor Market Outcomes (4-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Student Learning Outcomes? | false | |
| Student Learning Outcomes (3-point Scale) | 0 |
Two-Year Institutions
SC Nat'l| Student Access & Success | D |
|---|
| Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients | 64.1 | 46.9 |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Rate | 52.7 | 58.6 |
| Completion Rate | 11.3 | 20.5 |
| Completions Per 100 FTE Undergraduates | 14.2 | 16.8 |
| Risk-Adjusted Completion Points (5-point Scale) | 2 |
| Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness | C |
|---|
| Cost Per Completion | $62,844 | $57,210 |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Funding Per Completion | $33,351 | $35,476 |
| State, Local, and Tuition Funding Per Completion | $53,732 | $52,512 |
| Cost Per Completion and Public Funding Combined MeasureCombined Measure (5-point Scale) | 3 |
| Meeting Labor Market Demand | B |
|---|
| AA vs. HS Wage Gap (Overall) | $9,046 | $8,545 |
|---|---|---|
| AA vs. HS Wage Ratio (Overall) | 131.1 | 126.1 |
| AA vs. HS Wage Gap (25–34) | $7,000 | $6,595 |
| AA vs. HS Wage Ratio (25–34) | 128.0 | 125.0 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (Overall) | 3.4 | 2.7 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (Overall) | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (25–34) | 8.7 | 4.9 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (25–34) | 2.38 | 1.84 |
| Transparency & Accountability | F |
|---|
| Transparency—Public Accountability (5-point Scale) | 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency—Consumer Information (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Labor Market Outcomes? | false | |
| Labor Market Outcomes (4-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Student Learning Outcomes? | false | |
| Student Learning Outcomes (3-point Scale) | 0 |
State
SC Nat'l| Policy Environment | D |
|---|
| State Goals (6-point Scale) | 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Does the State Have Outcomes-Based Funding? | false | |
| Four-Year Outcomes-Based Funding (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Two-Years Outcomes-Based Funding (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Have a Credit Transfer Policy? | true | |
| Credit Transfer Policy (5-point Scale) | 4 |
| Innovation: Openness to Providers | D |
|---|
| Numerical Openness to New Providers Grade | 64% | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory Jurisdiction | 80% | |
| Financial Burden | 73% | |
| Approval Process Burden | 40% |
| Innovation: Online Learning | C |
|---|
| Numerical Online Learning Grade | 42.9 | |
|---|---|---|
| Online Learning Score (7-point Scale) | 3 |
State Facts at a Glance
- Number of Public Four-Year Institutions 12
- Number of Public Two-Year Institutions 20
- Number of Students Served by Public Four-Year Institutions 80043
- Number of Students Served by Public Two-Year Institutions 77794