How do SC colleges stack up in rankings?

What’s the best college in South Carolina? The state is full of alumni — and diehard fans— of the Gamecocks and Tigers, but size wasn’t the deciding factor in drawing up the newest school rankings, released by the Wall Street Journal.

Furman University scored the highest on the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education rankings of U.S. colleges. The private Greenville school came in at No. 130 in the national rankings with a score of 64.5 out of 100.

The survey looks at student outcomes in terms of salary earned 10 years after graduation and the rate of student debt repaid. Resources available to students and student surveys about the campus and community environment also played into the rankings.

Furman graduates earn an average of $47,100 a decade after leaving school, according to federal loan records, and have a loan repayment rate of 97 percent.

Clemson University is next best in the Palmetto State, coming in at No. 207. But Tigers earn a higher income — $50,100, according to the survey.

Wofford College in Spartanburg isn’t far behind at 210. Its average grad salary? $48,200. The University of South Carolina-Columbia ranks at 256 with grads’ 10-year average income of $42,100.

The Citadel was the only other S.C. school to make the top 500, coming in at No. 487. The Charleston military school tied in the survey with Barry University in Miami, Fla., Maryville University in St. Louis and Mississippi State.

Citadel grads, however, have the highest earning power after 10 years of all the ranked S.C. schools, pulling in an average of $52,200, according to the Journal.

This story was originally published September 29, 2016 at 7:57 AM with the headline "How do SC colleges stack up in rankings?."