University Of South Carolina-Aiken

Location and Contact Information

471 University Pkwy
Aiken, SC 29801
USA
Main Tel: (803) 648-6851
Web Site

The campus is in a large suburb.

Overview

The University of South Carolina Aiken, also known as USC Aiken, is a coeducational university located in Aiken, South Carolina, United States. It was established in 1961 in a historic mansion in downtown Aiken. It moved to its present campus in 1972. The campus spreads across an area of 453 acres. The university offers bachelor degrees and programs in more than 30 major areas of study. USC Aiken is organized into the following academic divisions:

  • College of Humanities and Social Sciences
  • College of Nursing
  • College of Sciences
  • School of Business Administration
  • School of Education

USC Aiken has an active Greek system with several fraternities and sororities including Kappa Alpha Psi, Alpha Phi Alpha, and Omega Psi Phi. The athletics department fields several sports teams that are nicknamed the Pacers.

Highlights (vs. Other Schools)

  • Many students concentrating in mathematics, science, nutrition and exercise therapy, and media.
  • High female/male ratio.
  • Number of dorm rooms for students.
  • High yield: the portion of accepted students who enroll.
  • Good faculty-to-student ratio.
  • Numerous part-time students.
  • Selective admissions.
  • Unusually high availability of athletic financial aid.

School characteristics:

  • The school is public.
  • Academic calender: Semester.
  • Carnegie classification: Baccalaureate Colleges, General.

Features of note:

  • The school offers a faculty tenure system.
  • There are one or more libraries on-campus.
  • Campus housing is available.
  • Students may study abroad.
  • Distance learning is available.
  • Part-time classes are available.
  • Athlete financial aid is awarded.

Tuition and Financial Aid (2009-2010)

ItemCost
State Tuition and fees$ 7,950
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 15,682
Room$ 4,250
Board$ 2,150
Books and supplies$ 1,080
Other$ 2,831

Financial Aid

USC Aiken participates in US Title IV financial assistance programs.

In 2009-2010, 94% of students received financial aid of some sort.

Grants% of
Students		Average
Amount
Any Grant89%$6,690
Institutional Grant27%$2,317
Federal Grant38%$4,562
Pell Grant38%$3,673
Other Federal Grant35%$948
State or Local Grant81%$4,477

Loans% of
Students		Average
Amount
Student Loan54%$5,960
Federal Loan53%$5,193
Other Loan10%$4,572

(Please refer to BrainTrack's financial aid articles section for background information.)

Similar Schools

Based on proprietary BrainTrack computer comparisons against all other US colleges, these schools appear to be most similar to University Of South Carolina-Aiken:

Click a column header to sort.

 SchoolLocationEnrollment
1Morehouse CollegeAtlanta, GA2,781
2Colorado School of MinesGolden, CO4,704
3Savannah State UniversitySavannah, GA3,453
4SUNY College at PotsdamPotsdam, NY4,325
5Spelman CollegeAtlanta, GA2,270
6Eastern Connecticut State UniversityWillimantic, CT5,427
7University of North Carolina at AshevilleAsheville, NC3,629
8Siena CollegeLoudonville, NY3,305
9Francis Marion UniversityFlorence, SC4,020
10Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend CollegeErie, PA4,334

Degrees Awarded (in 2009-2010)

DegreeTotal
Earned		Different
Programs
Bachelor46120
Master123

Faculty

Tenure (2009-2010):

Full-Time Faculty  Total
With tenure  67
Without tenure; working toward tenure  38
Without tenure; tenure not available  45

Students

Student enrollment was 3,232 in 2009-2010 (2,758 full-time equivalent).

About 35% of the freshmen class in 2009-2010 was male and women were 65% of the class.

Undergrads are 94% of enrolled students and graduate students are 6%.

Students under 25 years old represent 84% of the student body. About 5% of the school is at least 40 years of age.

Among freshmen students, 94% are full-time and 6% are part-time.

Admissions Summary (2009-2010)

ApplicantsAdmitted
Men54%
Women53%
All53%

SAT Test Scores:

SATMiddle 50%
Verbal440-540
Math450-550

Room and Board

USC Aiken provides on-campus housing for 968 of its 2,758 (full-time) students (as of 2009-2010).

Athletics

The school is in the Peach Belt Conference for major sports.

The school offers financial aid for athletes. Of students receiving athletic financial aid, 86 male students received the aid (men were 53% of those receiving aid) and 76 women were awarded financial aid based on athletics (representing 47% of students receiving such aid) .

International Study

About 1% of freshmen are from countries other than the US.

International applicants are required to take the TOEFL exam.

Graduate School Focus

USC Aiken offers graduate (post-Bachelor) studies. The highest degree offered is the Master.

The school's Graduate School Carnegie Classification is Postbaccalaureate With Arts & Sciences (Fields Other Than Education And Business).

Programs of Study

(Number of degrees in 2009-2010 in parentheses)

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (109 awarded)

  • Business Administration and Management

EDUCATION AND TEACHING (62 awarded)

  • Early Childhood Education and Teaching
  • Educational/Instructional Media Design
  • Elementary Education and Teaching
  • Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching
  • Music Teacher Education
  • Secondary Education and Teaching
  • Special Education and Teaching

FINE ARTS (11 awarded)

  • Fine/Studio Arts

LIBERAL ARTS (70 awarded)

  • English Language and Literature
  • History
  • Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
  • Political Science and Government
  • Sociology

MATHEMATICS (19 awarded)

  • Applied Mathematics

MEDIA (31 awarded)

  • Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE (68 awarded)

  • Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY (31 awarded)

  • Kinesiology and Exercise Science

SCIENCE (41 awarded)

  • Biology/Biological Sciences
  • Chemistry

THERAPY AND COUNSELING (31 awarded)

  • Community Psychology
  • Psychology