USC Upstate acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
USC Upstate, a public university in South Carolina, reports a 67% acceptance rate and sits in the moderately selective band. In practice that means it admits more applicants than it rejects, so a strong application is judged against an applicant pool that is already self-selected.
Use this page to see what USC Upstate 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 1100, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at USC Upstate?
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 Upstate?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into USC Upstate, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into USC Upstate?
Your odds at USC Upstate are not the same as its 67% acceptance rate. 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 Upstate in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is USC Upstate hard to get into?
USC Upstate is moderately selective: it admits more applicants than it rejects, with about a 67% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into USC Upstate?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at USC Upstate, but admitted students often present roughly a 3.2 to 3.7 GPA. USC Upstate reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at USC Upstate by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at USC Upstate 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 Upstate with a 3.1 GPA and a 1090 SAT?
About 87% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1090 SAT, the middle of USC Upstate's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1180 SAT comes out near 97%. 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-upstate.
How to get into USC Upstate
Built from USC Upstate's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
There is no formula that guarantees a spot at USC Upstate, but the applicants who get in tend to do the same four things. Here is what the numbers say each one looks like.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at USC Upstate carries about a 3.26 core GPA and a 1125 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
The admitted middle 50% is 1005 to 1175 SAT (21 to 26 ACT). Submit a score at 1090 or higher; below 1005, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
USC Upstate 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 Upstate's early or priority deadline (confirm dates at www.uscupstate.edu), and if you are out of state, know that residency changes both the bar and the price.
How many students apply to USC Upstate, and how many get in?
USC Upstate admitted 2,476 of the 3,557 students who applied for fall 2023, which works out to 69.6%. 674 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 Upstate enrolls about 4,038 undergraduates in total, 65% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 15 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for USC Upstate?
Admitted students at USC Upstate post SAT scores of 1005 to 1175 in the middle 50%, with an average of 1099. On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 21 to 26. A score above 1175 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1005 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. USC Upstate 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 Upstate looks for
What USC Upstate weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
The factors that carry the most weight at USC Upstate are 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 Upstate'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 Upstate
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 Upstate cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at USC Upstate (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $25,124 a year. Tuition and fees are $11,588 for SC residents and $23,090 for out-of-state students, a $11,502 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 $13,557 a year, and it ranges from $11,618 for families earning under $30,000 to $19,325 for families earning over $110,000. 46% 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 Upstate graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for USC Upstate students ten years after entry are $48,587 ($43,339 at the six-year mark). 43% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 70% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $22,310; 49% 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 Upstate compares in South Carolina
USC Upstate ranks #12 most selective of 32 schools in South Carolina in our database.
Among the 32 South Carolina schools we track, USC Upstate ranks #12 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 Upstate
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Applicants targeting USC Upstate often weigh IU East, Florida Atlantic University, and Northern Kentucky University, which sit at a similar level. 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 Upstate's acceptance rate?
USC Upstate admitted 2,476 of 3,557 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 69.6% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 27% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for USC Upstate?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1005 to 1175 on the SAT and 21 to 26 on the ACT. A score above 1175 is in the top quarter of admits. USC Upstate is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is USC Upstate test-optional?
Yes. USC Upstate 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 Upstate cost after financial aid?
The average net price at USC Upstate, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $13,557 a year against a sticker price of about $25,124. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $11,618 on average.
What do USC Upstate graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering USC Upstate are $48,587 a year among students who received federal aid, and 43% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does USC Upstate value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, USC Upstate weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does USC Upstate favor in-state applicants?
As a public university, USC Upstate 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 Upstate?
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 Upstate specifically.
What are the admission requirements for USC Upstate?
USC Upstate 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.