The 10 Best Colleges and Universities in SC, New Ranking Shows. Neither Clemson nor USC are No. 1

If you want to get into the best college in South Carolina, maybe becoming a Tiger or Gamecock shouldn’t be your first choice.

WalletHub, a major personal finance website, recently unveiled its rankings of the best colleges and universities in South Carolina. While Clemson University and the University of South Carolina were in the top five, neither took first place.

Instead, Wofford College earned the honor of best college in the state.

The South Carolina schools were part of a larger report in which WalletHub compared more than 800 U.S. higher education institutions on 30 key measures grouped into seven categories, such as student selectivity, cost and funding, and career outcomes. The data set ranges from student-to-faculty ratios to average post-graduation salaries.

Clemson ranked third among the best colleges in South Carolina, while USC followed at fifth. However, Clemson was ranked 133rd and USC was ranked 317th overall in the US

Wofford was ranked 125th overall in the US

10 Best SC Colleges & Universities

1. Wofford College

2. Furman University

3. Clemson University

4. Presbyterian College

5. University of South Carolina

6. Converse University

7. Citadel Military University of South Carolina

8. Winthrop University

9. College of Charleston

10. Erskine College

SC snapshot

Here’s a snapshot of how the top three higher institutions in South Carolina performed on certain measures compared to other higher institutions in the state, with a ranking of 1 being the best and a ranking of 20 being the worst. Click here to view the rankings and breakdowns of all universities included in the report.

Wofford College

3^rd – Entrance fee

19^e – Net costs

3^rd – Student-faculty ratio

14^e – Crime on campus

18^e – Gender and racial diversity

2^i.e – Graduation rate

3^rd – Median salary after attendance

Furman University

2^i.e – Entrance fee

20^e – Net costs

1^st – Student-faculty ratio

19^e – Crime on campus

17^e – Gender and racial diversity

2^i.e – Graduation rate

4^e – Median salary after attendance

Clemson University

1^st – Entrance fee

18^e – Net costs

16^e – Student-faculty ratio

3^rd – Crime on campus

16^e – Gender and racial diversity

1^st – Graduation rate

2^i.e – Median salary after attendance