University of South Carolina-Upstate Rankings & Recognition

University of South Carolina-Upstate appears in 8 of CollegesRef's value rankings by major. Its best placement is #334 of 379 for criminal justice, and #6 of 8 ranked colleges in South Carolina.

University of South Carolina-Upstate rankings by major

Source: CollegesRef value rankings from U.S. College Scorecard data, 2025

Each ranking compares bachelor's programs in one field. A college's value score is the weighted average of four percentiles among the ranked colleges: graduate earnings, average net price, debt compared with earnings, and graduation rate. Percentiles here are 100 for the best figure in the field. How the rankings work

Criminal justice

Ranked #334 of 379 for value

Criminal Justice and Corrections · 83 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $48,209; Ranked-college median: $55,481
Median debt: $20,961; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 28.4 of 100 · #6 of 8 in South Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 13th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 54th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 29th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 26th percentile

Average net price $15,680 (median $16,222) · graduation rate 43.2% · debt is 44% of earnings

Ranked just above: St. Thomas University-Florida (#333)
Ranked just below: SUNY Morrisville (#335)

Best colleges for criminal justice

Communications

Ranked #364 of 388 for value

Communication and Media Studies · 33 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $45,298; Ranked-college median: $56,130
Median debt: $26,077; Ranked-college median: $19,593

Value score 22.2 of 100 · #7 of 7 in South Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 12th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 60th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 6th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 10th percentile

Average net price $15,680 (median $17,285) · graduation rate 43.2% · debt is 58% of earnings

Ranked just above: Winston-Salem State University (#363)
Ranked just below: Northwestern State University of Louisiana (#365)

Best colleges for communications

Nursing

Ranked #420 of 686 for value

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · 216 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $79,947; Ranked-college median: $85,171
Median debt: $16,692; Ranked-college median: $20,938

Value score 44 of 100 · #2 of 12 in South Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 28th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 63th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 71th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 19th percentile

Average net price $15,680 (median $18,014) · graduation rate 43.2% · debt is 21% of earnings

Ranked just above: University of Central Missouri (#419)
Ranked just below: Misericordia University (#421)

Best colleges for nursing

Computer science

Ranked #453 of 466 for value

Computer and Information Sciences, General · 62 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $67,286; Ranked-college median: $97,375
Median debt: $22,647; Ranked-college median: $19,500

Value score 18.8 of 100 · #4 of 4 in South Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 4th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 57th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 5th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 12th percentile

Average net price $15,680 (median $16,804) · graduation rate 43.2% · debt is 34% of earnings

Ranked just above: Park University (#452)
Ranked just below: Quinnipiac University (#454)

Best colleges for computer science

Education

Ranked #467 of 521 for value

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods · 80 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $42,119; Ranked-college median: $48,822
Median debt: $21,779; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 26.5 of 100 · #9 of 12 in South Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 9th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 60th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 25th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 18th percentile

Average net price $15,680 (median $17,201) · graduation rate 43.2% · debt is 52% of earnings

Ranked just above: Concordia University-Nebraska (#466)
Ranked just below: Park University (#468)

Best colleges for education

Business

Ranked #560 of 986 for value

Business Administration, Management and Operations · 45 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $61,967; Ranked-college median: $64,860
Median debt: $19,250; Ranked-college median: $21,375

Value score 46.2 of 100 · #8 of 27 in South Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 38th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 67th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 55th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 23th percentile

Average net price $15,680 (median $19,132) · graduation rate 43.2% · debt is 31% of earnings

Ranked just above: Troy University (#559)
Ranked just below: Colorado State University-Pueblo (#561)

Best colleges for business

Biology

Ranked #626 of 680 for value

Biology, General · 29 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $48,139; Ranked-college median: $58,001
Median debt: $22,750; Ranked-college median: $20,717

Value score 25 of 100 · #9 of 15 in South Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 12th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 64th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 12th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 13th percentile

Average net price $15,680 (median $18,049) · graduation rate 43.2% · debt is 47% of earnings

Ranked just above: Albany State University (#625)
Ranked just below: University of the Ozarks (#627)

Best colleges for biology

Psychology

Ranked #694 of 814 for value

Psychology, General · 67 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $45,659; Ranked-college median: $51,007
Median debt: $23,851; Ranked-college median: $21,000

Value score 30.9 of 100 · #11 of 17 in South Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 22th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 66th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 15th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 17th percentile

Average net price $15,680 (median $18,874) · graduation rate 43.2% · debt is 52% of earnings

Ranked just above: Troy University (#693)
Ranked just below: University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (#695)

Best colleges for psychology

Quick facts

Admit rate: 67.3%
Avg. net price: $15,680
Graduation: 43.2%
Students: 4,038

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Carnegie Classification

Baccalaureate college

A Bachelor’s Degree College with diverse academic fields

Athletics

NCAA Division I

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