We enjoy a rich history of more than 200 years of academic leadership, and we are building on that tradition. The primary mission of the University of South Carolina Columbia is the education of the state's citizens through teaching, research, creative activity, and community engagement.
Among America's oldest and most comprehensive public universities, USC Columbia is the major research institution of the University of South Carolina system and its largest campus, enrolling approximately 21,000 undergraduate students and approximately 8,000 graduate and professional programs. At the heart of its mission lies the University's responsibility to state and society to promote knowledge, cultural enrichment, and an enhanced quality of life.
The University serves a diverse population of students with widely varying backgrounds, career goals, and levels of aspiration. USC Columbia offers over 320 degrees at the bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional program levels, affording students the most comprehensive array of educational programs in the state. Additional opportunities for personal and career development, including an associate degree program at Fort Jackson, are provided to South Carolina citizens through outreach and continuing education activities.
Through the primary method of classroom and laboratory instruction, and a secondary method of distance learning delivered via the Internet, teleconference, and electronic media, degree programs are offered in the following areas: arts and sciences education engineering and computing hospitality, retail, and sport management mass communications and information studies music public health and social work and in professional programs such as business, law, medicine, nursing, and pharmacy. The depth and breadth of its graduate programs in the arts and sciences, international business, public health, social work, and library and information science distinguishes USC Columbia from all other higher learning institutions in South Carolina.
Recognized by the Carnegie Foundation as a top research and service institution, nationally ranked in start-up businesses, and conferring over 30% of all bachelor's and graduate degrees awarded at public institutions in South Carolina, the University has a profound relevance, reach, and impact on the people of the state. As the flagship institution of the state system, USC Columbia leads the way in providing all students with the highest-quality education, including the knowledge, skills, and values necessary for success and responsible citizenship in a complex and changing world through engagement in nationally and internationally ranked research, scholarship, community outreach, and artistic creation.
Our 15 colleges and schools offer 324 unique degree options designed to challenge, inspire, and spur your intellectual curiosity.
We offer bachelor's degree completion programs through Palmetto College, and our graduate school offers online graduate degree programs in education, engineering, health information technology, and public health. You will find a variety of individual online courses as well.
Our commitment to educating South Carolina residents can be seen through programs that help you get into college, get ahead at work, or learn something new. Every day our students launch great ideas, make discoveries, and shape the future they want. After today, your most significant decision will not be where you will go, but how far.
We can help you gain access to an exceptional college experience at the University of South Carolina. Eighty-eight percent of our students receive some form of financial aid support.
Founded in 1801, then-South Carolina College flourished pre-Civil War, overcame postwar struggles, was rechartered in 1906 as a university, and transformed itself as a national institution in the 20th 21st centuries.
The Palmetto State established South Carolina College — the precursor to the University of South Carolina — on Dec. 19, 1801, as part of an effort to unite South Carolinians in the wake of the American Revolution. South Carolina's leaders saw the new college to promote "the good order and harmony" of the state.
The founding of South Carolina College was also a part of the Southern public college movement spurred by Thomas Jefferson. Within 20 years of one another, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia established state-supported colleges.
In the antebellum era, the Palmetto State generously supported South Carolina College. The institution featured a cosmopolitan faculty, including such noted European scholars as Francis Lieber and Thomas Cooper and renowned American scholars John and Joseph LeConte. Offering a traditional classical curriculum, South Carolina College became one of the most influential colleges in the South before 1861, earning a reputation as the training ground for South Carolina's antebellum elite.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the University continued to develop its resources to serve the Palmetto State better. A concerted drive to achieve national recognition brought Carolina into the 21st century. In 2001, the University of South Carolina celebrated a legacy of 200 years of educating leaders for the future of South Carolina, the nation, and the world.
The Carnegie Foundation has designated the University of South Carolina as an institution of very high research activity, its highest rating. Join the Office of the Vice President for Research in our search for practical solutions to create healthier, more educated communities.
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