South Carolina Public Colleges Ranked by Highest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 12 public colleges in South Carolina with the highest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. Francis Marion University leads the list by accepting 86% of high school students that applied.

Acceptance rate is a measure of the competitiveness of a school. Lower acceptance rates are more competitive and may require a higher GPA, SAT/ACT score, and other factors to be considered for admission.

List of South Carolina Public Colleges Ranked by Highest Acceptance Rate
College Acceptance Rate

Florence, South Carolina

86%

Orangeburg, South Carolina

83%

Greenwood, South Carolina

81%

Aiken, South Carolina

79%

Rock Hill, South Carolina

79%

Conway, South Carolina

75%

Bluffton, South Carolina

73%

Spartanburg, South Carolina

67%

Charleston, South Carolina

60%

Columbia, South Carolina

60%

Clemson, South Carolina

38%

Charleston, South Carolina

23%

This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: March 15, 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.