USC Aiken acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
With an acceptance rate near 79%, USC Aiken is an accessible public university in South Carolina. Because it admits most qualified applicants, admission turns on the strength of your whole profile rather than any one number.
Use this page to see what USC Aiken weighs, where it ranks among South Carolina schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1120, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at USC Aiken?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into USC Aiken?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into USC Aiken, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into USC Aiken?
USC Aiken admits most qualified applicants (around 79%), but that overall rate is not your personal chance. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for USC Aiken in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is USC Aiken hard to get into?
USC Aiken is accessible: it admits most qualified applicants, with about a 79% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into USC Aiken?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at USC Aiken, but admitted students span a wide GPA range, with many in the 2.8 to 3.5 band. USC Aiken reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at USC Aiken by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at USC Aiken for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 3 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at USC Aiken with a 3.1 GPA and a 1100 SAT?
About 97% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1100 SAT, the middle of USC Aiken's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1220 SAT comes out near 98%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/usc-aiken.
How to get into USC Aiken
Built from USC Aiken's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Here is how to get into USC Aiken, built from what its admitted class actually looks like and what the school says it weighs.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at USC Aiken carries about a 3.13 core GPA and a 1170 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
The admitted middle 50% is 980 to 1220 SAT (19 to 26 ACT). Submit a score at 1100 or higher; below 980, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
USC Aiken rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Most public universities read early applicants first without a binding commitment. Apply by USC Aiken's early or priority deadline (confirm dates at www.usca.edu), and if you are out of state, know that residency changes both the bar and the price.
How many students apply to USC Aiken, and how many get in?
For the fall 2023 entering class, USC Aiken received 2,905 applications and admitted 2,316, an acceptance rate of 79.7%. 616 enrolled. Only about 27% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. USC Aiken enrolls about 2,962 undergraduates in total, 61% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 16 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for USC Aiken?
Admitted students at USC Aiken post SAT scores of 980 to 1220 in the middle 50%, with an average of 1120. On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 19 to 26. A score above 1220 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 980 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. USC Aiken is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What USC Aiken looks for
What USC Aiken weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
In its review, USC Aiken leans most on rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from USC Aiken's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at USC Aiken
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does USC Aiken cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at USC Aiken (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $21,540 a year. Tuition and fees are $10,760 for SC residents and $21,218 for out-of-state students, a $10,458 gap that makes residency the single biggest lever on cost. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $11,641 a year, and it ranges from $8,987 for families earning under $30,000 to $17,502 for families earning over $110,000. 39% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do USC Aiken graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for USC Aiken students ten years after entry are $45,603 ($39,689 at the six-year mark). 40% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 67% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $24,275; 43% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How USC Aiken compares in South Carolina
USC Aiken ranks #22 most selective of 32 schools in South Carolina in our database.
Among the 32 South Carolina schools we track, USC Aiken ranks #22 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like Clemson University (38%) and Furman University (43%) sit nearby, which makes South Carolina a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list. As a public university, residency matters: in-state applicants generally see meaningfully better odds than the headline rate suggests.
Similar to USC Aiken
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Build around USC Aiken with peers at a comparable selectivity, such as Prairie View A&M University, University of Louisville, and Winthrop University. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is USC Aiken's acceptance rate?
USC Aiken admitted 2,316 of 2,905 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 79.7% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 27% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for USC Aiken?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 980 to 1220 on the SAT and 19 to 26 on the ACT. A score above 1220 is in the top quarter of admits. USC Aiken is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is USC Aiken test-optional?
Yes. USC Aiken reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does USC Aiken cost after financial aid?
The average net price at USC Aiken, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $11,641 a year against a sticker price of about $21,540. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $8,987 on average.
What do USC Aiken graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering USC Aiken are $45,603 a year among students who received federal aid, and 40% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does USC Aiken value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, USC Aiken weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does USC Aiken favor in-state applicants?
As a public university, USC Aiken generally admits in-state applicants at a higher rate than out-of-state applicants, so your home state affects your odds. CollegeCalcAI applies an in-state residency boost when you select your state.
How can I improve my chances at USC Aiken?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at USC Aiken specifically.
How does residency affect admission to USC Aiken?
As a public university, USC Aiken typically admits in-state students at a higher rate, and tuition differs sharply by residency. Select your home state in the calculator to fold the in-state effect into your estimate.
What are the admission requirements for USC Aiken?
USC Aiken reviews GPA, course rigor, test scores (where submitted), activities, and essays. With a more accessible acceptance rate, meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.