South Carolina Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 19 private colleges in South Carolina with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. Furman University leads the list by accepting 43% of high school students that applied.

Acceptance rate is a measure of the competitiveness of a school. Lower acceptance rates are more competitive and may require a higher GPA, SAT/ACT score, and other factors to be considered for admission.

List of South Carolina Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College Acceptance Rate

Greenville, South Carolina

 43%

Spartanburg, South Carolina

 52%

Anderson, South Carolina

 55%

Due West, South Carolina

 63%

Orangeburg, South Carolina

 65%

Tigerville, South Carolina

 67%

Spartanburg, South Carolina

 68%

Clinton, South Carolina

 68%

Columbia, South Carolina

 73%

Newberry, South Carolina

 90%

Hartsville, South Carolina

 94%

Columbia, South Carolina

 94%

Columbia, South Carolina

 94%

Charleston, South Carolina

 96%

Columbia, South Carolina

 96%

Gaffney, South Carolina

 97%

Central, South Carolina

 100%

Sumter, South Carolina

 100%
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This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: August 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.