University of South Carolina was founded in 1801. Then-South Carolina College flourished pre-Civil War, overcame postwar struggles. It was rechartered in 1906 as a university and transformed itself as a national institution in the 20th and 21st centuries. Home to more than 200 years of history and tradition, rising from a single building in 1805. The campus grew around the modified quadrangle of the Horseshoe. In 1805, four years after the college was chartered, its first building, Rutledge, was completed. Classes began that year with two faculty members and nine students. As the only academic facility, Rutledge served as classroom, lab, library, chapel, and student and faculty housing until DeSaussure was completed on the north side of the Horseshoe.
South Carolina is one of a select group of universities to earn the Carnegie top-tier designation in both research activity and community engagement. According to national publications like Kiplinger’s Inc., Forbes and U.S. News and World Report, our programs stack up against the best in the nation and around the world – 1st International MBA, Best International Experience, Nation’s Best Public University Honor College, Top-tier designation for Research and Community Engagement and the Only University awarding a designation for graduating with Leadership Distinction.
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, the University of South Carolina Columbia is the major research institution of the university system and its largest campus. At the heart of its mission lies the university’s responsibility to state and society to promote the dissemination of knowledge, cultural enrichment, and an enhanced quality of life.
The University of South Carolina Columbia serves a diverse population of students with widely varying backgrounds, career goals, and levels of aspiration. The university 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. Opportunities for personal and career development are provided to the citizens of South Carolina through outreach and continuing education activities. The university provides additional opportunities for associate degrees through Fort Jackson and through the oversight of regional Palmetto College campuses (Lancaster, Salkehatchie, Sumter, and Union).
Through classroom and laboratory instruction delivered in a variety of face-to-face. And distance learning formats and modalities. Offer degree programs in the following areas: arts and sciences; business; education; engineering and computing; hospitality, retail, and sport management; information and communications; law; medicine; music; nursing; pharmacy; public health; and social work. The depth and breadth of its graduate programs distinguishes the University of South Carolina Columbia from all other institutions of higher learning in South Carolina.
Location
Columbia, South Carolina (USA)
Discover new things to do and nice places to stay and see why our famously hot hometown is cool enough to be named the #3 “Best College Town” in the nation. Columbia’s natural beauty – at the Congaree National Park or stroll along one of the city’s three rivers. Learn about our wild neighbors at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden or soak up some history at the State Museum. Check out a full listing of attractions with directions at the Experience Columbia SC website. You can choose your activity by type (outdoors, shopping, etc.) or check out the districts listing to choose by location.
With a tree-lined campus in the heart of a Southern capital city, South Carolina’s beauty and hospitality are best experienced in person. There is never a dull moment on campus. You have hundreds of options for living, playing and making a difference. Find your place or create one. From living and learning communities to traditional residence halls, you’ll find a home in one of our two dozen on-campus housing options. More than 400 student organizations on campus make it easy to pursue what you like. And if you don’t find the perfect group, we’ll help you start your own.
School & Faculty
- Arts and Sciences
- Business
- Education
- Engineering and Computing
- The Graduate School
- Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management
- Information and Communications
- Law
- Medicine (Columbia)
- Medicine (Greenville)
- Music
- Nursing
- Pharmacy
- Public Health
- Social Work
- South Carolina Honors College
