Orangeburg, SC · Public · 2,934 undergraduates · town
South Carolina State University
Less selective
SC State is a land-grant HBCU with a rare technical niche: undergraduate nuclear engineering that exists nowhere else at an HBCU.
Institutional profile
Regionally focused Solid in mobility, and steady in career outcomes.- Admission
- 81.7% admitted
- Price by income
- Resident and nonresident prices differ
- Completion
- 36.1%
9,830 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$38,262 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets South Carolina State University apart
Academic design
Programs span agriculture, business, education, STEM, communications and health-related fields, with nuclear engineering and transportation especially distinctive.
Campus pattern
The Orangeburg campus delivers a traditional residential HBCU experience shaped by athletics, homecoming, Greek life and land-grant traditions.
Career & value signal
Its nuclear engineering program is the only undergraduate program of its kind in South Carolina and the only one based at an HBCU.
Can I get in?
81.7% admitted
Start with the academic record, then make the intended direction and school-specific fit concrete.
Recent applicant pool
9,830About 82 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Record over scores
No score range is published for the entering class, so the transcript, the course rigor, and the required materials carry the file.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for South Carolina State University, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What South Carolina State University weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show preparation for this curriculum
Programs span agriculture, business, education, STEM, communications and health-related fields, with nuclear engineering and transportation especially distinctive.
Make institutional fit specific
SC State is a land-grant HBCU with a rare technical niche: undergraduate nuclear engineering that exists nowhere else at an HBCU.
Use the application route carefully
Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and assemble each required item once.
$25 application fee
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.
College funding
Scholarships and financial aid
Review available aid, application requirements, and renewal terms.
South Carolina State University publishes one merit award.
Through the honors college · Merit · Competitive
teacher educationIn the season card
This award, by name
What each one is called, what it pays, the grades and scores it asks for, and what to send.
- The name of each award
- What it pays
- The grades and scores it asks for
- How to be considered
- What to send, and where
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at South Carolina State University
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. One university-wide earnings figure does not describe every student path.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General
Biology, General
Business Administration, Management and Operations
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Computer and Information Sciences, General
What is campus life like?
South Carolina State University beyond the classroom
The Orangeburg campus delivers a traditional residential HBCU experience shaped by athletics, homecoming, Greek life and land-grant traditions.
A defining academic feature
Programs span agriculture, business, education, STEM, communications and health-related fields, with nuclear engineering and transportation especially distinctive.
What shapes an ordinary week
The Orangeburg campus delivers a traditional residential HBCU experience shaped by athletics, homecoming, Greek life and land-grant traditions.
Where the degree can lead
Its nuclear engineering program is the only undergraduate program of its kind in South Carolina and the only one based at an HBCU.