South Carolina Public Colleges Ranked by Highest ACT Score

Below is a list of the 16 public colleges in South Carolina with the highest ACT Score for incoming freshmen. Clemson University leads the list with an average ACT Score of 30. Alternatively, check out the SAT version of these rankings.

The ACT is a standardized test used by colleges to evaluate applicants. It is not a guarantee of success in college, but it is a strong indicator of academic potential.

List of South Carolina Public Colleges Ranked by Highest ACT Score
College	Average ACT Score
Clemson University Clemson, South Carolina	30
University of South Carolina Columbia Columbia, South Carolina	29
College of Charleston Charleston, South Carolina	27
Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston, South Carolina	24
Coastal Carolina University Conway, South Carolina	23
University of South Carolina Upstate Spartanburg, South Carolina	23
Winthrop University Rock Hill, South Carolina	23
University of South Carolina Aiken Aiken, South Carolina	22
Francis Marion University Florence, South Carolina	20
Lander University Greenwood, South Carolina	19
University of South Carolina Beaufort Bluffton, South Carolina	19
University of South Carolina Lancaster Lancaster, South Carolina	18
University of South Carolina Sumter Sumter, South Carolina	18
South Carolina State University Orangeburg, South Carolina	17
University of South Carolina Salkehatchie Allendale, South Carolina	16
University of South Carolina Union Union, South Carolina	16

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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.