Clemson and USC face off in new 10 best SC colleges list. Do you agree with the rankings?

Gamecocks and tigers have something new to fight about.

The in-state rivalry between the University of South Carolina and Clemson University has long been a legendary affair. Normally, that rivalry has been relegated to sports, particularly football.

A new report on the top 10 colleges and universities in South Carolina adds some extra spice to the rivalry, comparing features like financing and graduation rates.

Clemson took the number one spot, while USC was ranked right behind in second place, according to the report from WalletHub, a major personal finance website.

The South Carolina schools were part of a larger report, in which WalletHub compared more than 900 higher-education institutions in the U.S. on 30 key measures grouped into seven categories, such as student selectivity, cost and financing and career outcomes. The data set ranges from the ratio of students and faculty to median salaries after graduation. Data was gathered from sources such as the National Center for Education Statistics, the Council for Community and Economic Research and the U.S. Department of Education.

Out of all of the more than 900 U.S. schools, Clemson ranked 112th and USC ranked 171st overall.

Here is a snapshot of how Clemson and USC performed in certain metrics compared to other higher institutions in the state, with a ranking of 1st being the best and a ranking of 25th being the worst.

Clemson University

2^nd – Admission Rate

23^rd – Net Cost

19^th – Student-Faculty Ratio

1^st – On-Campus Crime

20^th – Gender & Racial Diversity

1^st – Graduation Rate

2^nd – Post-Attendance Median Salary

University of South Carolina

6^th – Admission Rate

21^st – Net Cost

25^th – Student-Faculty Ratio

12^th – On-Campus Crime

17^th – Gender & Racial Diversity

3^rd – Graduation Rate

4^th – Post-Attendance Median Salary

Here are the 10 best colleges and universities in South Carolina, according to WalletHub.

1. Clemson University
2. University of South Carolina
3. Furman University
4. Presbyterian College
5. Citadel Military College of South Carolina
6. Columbia International University
7. Southern Wesleyan University
8. Charleston Southern University
9. North Greenville University
10. College of Charleston

This story was originally published October 20, 2022 at 5:30 AM.

Patrick McCreless

The State

803-771-8353

Patrick McCreless is the Southeast service journalism editor for McClatchy, who leads and edits a team of six reporters in South Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi. The team writes about trending news of the day and topics that help readers in their daily lives and better informs them about their communities. He attended Jacksonville State University in Alabama and grew up in Tuscaloosa, AL.