South Carolina State University

Public · Moderately Selective · SC

Photo: Jd8ellington (CC BY-SA 3.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationSC · South

SettingRural

Undergrads2,934

Student:faculty19:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate21.1%

6-yr grad rate36.6%

Drop-out rate43.5%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$11k

Out-of-state tuition$22k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity98.8%

Gender diversity54.6%

International0.1%

IdentityHBCU

Overview

South Carolina State University is the state's public historically Black land-grant institution, located in Orangeburg in the state's rural midlands. It carries deep significance in South Carolina's civil rights history and has long served as a primary producer of the state's Black teachers, engineers, and military officers, with a campus identity built around that legacy as much as its academic offerings.

Academics

Engineering technology, education, business, and nursing form the academic core, with the university's land-grant status supporting applied and agricultural-adjacent programs as well. Its ROTC programs are especially well regarded and have commissioned a large share of the state's Black military officers over the decades, giving that pathway an unusually strong reputation relative to the university's size.

Campus & student life

The Orangeburg campus is compact and close-knit, with a marching band, known for its "Marching 101," that is a genuine point of campus pride and draws attention well beyond the university itself. Homecoming and band performances carry outsized cultural weight on campus, consistent with HBCU traditions more broadly, and the surrounding community has a long, complicated relationship with the university rooted in the 1968 Orangeburg massacre.

Getting in

Admissions review is straightforward and grade-focused rather than essay-heavy, with an emphasis on access for South Carolina students, particularly first-generation and Black students from across the state and region.

After graduation

The university has a long track record of commissioning military officers through ROTC and placing education and engineering technology graduates into South Carolina school districts and industry. Its alumni network is especially strong within the state's Black professional and civic communities.

Worth knowing

The band program and campus traditions carry real weight in daily campus culture, not just at homecoming, and prospective ROTC students should know the program's reputation is a genuine draw, not an afterthought.

scsu.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate82.6%

Enrolled mid-50%970

Test policynot used

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying