University of South Carolina Aiken


The University of South Carolina Aiken is a public university in Aiken, South Carolina. It is part of the University of South Carolina System and offers undergraduate degree programs as well as master's degrees. Additional graduate courses and degree programs are offered through the University of South Carolina Extended Graduate Campus program. The University of South Carolina Aiken awards baccalaureate degrees in more than 30 major areas of study include the bachelor of science in business administration online through Palmetto College.

Campus

The campus is located on in Aiken, from Augusta, Georgia, and 60 miles from Columbia, South Carolina.

Academics

The University of South Carolina Aiken is ranked #1 among top public regional colleges in the South in the 2019 edition of U.S. News & World Report's guide, "America's Best Colleges." Since U.S. News & World Report created this ranking category seventeen years ago, the university has been ranked in the top three public regional colleges every year, totaling twenty-one consecutive years. USC Aiken has been ranked first ten times: 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Accreditation

The School of Education's undergraduate programs in Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary and Special Education are accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. Its graduate program for the M. Ed. in Educational Technology also is accredited by NCATE.
The School of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-International. AACSB accreditation assures quality and promotes excellence and continuous improvement in undergraduate and graduate education for business administration and accounting.
The School of Nursing's program is approved by the South Carolina State Board of Nursing and is fully accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission.
USC Aiken's master of science in applied clinical psychology degree program is fully accredited by the Master's in Psychology Accreditation Council.
USC Aiken's Department of Chemistry and Physics is nationally certified by the American Chemical Society. USC Aiken is the smallest university in the state of South Carolina to be nationally certified by The American Chemical Society, and one of only nine in the state.

Students

USC Aiken is one of the fastest growing institutions in the USC system, with approximately 3,450 undergraduate students and 250 graduate students. The University reached record enrollment rates in the fall of 2018. Students enjoy a low faculty-to-student ratio of 15:1 and an average class size of 15.

Student life

Fraternities and sororities

The Greek system at USC Aiken consists of 7 fraternities and 7 sororities. In 2019, nine percent of undergraduate men and nine percent of undergraduate women were active in USC Aiken's Greek system.
IFC fraternities
NPHC fraternities
NPHC sororities
NPC sororities
The school newspaper is the weekly Pacer Times, founded in 1963 as the Rebellaire. The school also has a student-run literary journal, Broken Ink.

Athletics

Division II; Peach Belt Conference. The University fields men's teams in baseball, basketball, golf, soccer, and tennis and women's teams in basketball, cross country, softball, volleyball, soccer, and tennis. Cheerleading and the award-winning dance team are also an important part of the athletics department.

Notable alumni