For a fourth consecutive year, the University of South Carolina Upstate is No. 1 among the state’s Top Public Schools, according to new rankings released Monday by U.S. News and World Report. Additionally, USC Upstate is the second-best school in South Carolina and No. 24 among the Best Regional Colleges South, which also includes private institutions.
“USC Upstate is an institution that transforms lives in so many ways,” said USC Upstate Chancellor Bennie L. Harris, Ph.D. “These rankings provide significant recognition of our collective efforts to fulfill our mission. I am so proud that we continue to build on our reputation as a university that positively impacts our region and state.”
In the social mobility category, USC Upstate climbed three spots from the previous year’s ranking to No. 6 among Regional Colleges South. In the Best Colleges for Veterans category, USC Upstate was ranked No. 3.
U.S. News and World Report rankings are calculated based on 17 measures of academic quality, such as graduation and retention rates, social mobility, faculty resources, alumni giving, admissions data, and academic reputation determined by a peer assessment from top collegiate academics. The publication said ranking factors for the list were based on data from Fall 2021.
Recently, Washington Monthly released rankings that showed USC Upstate was the best baccalaureate college in South Carolina and No. 34 out of 250 of the nation’s top undergraduate institutions.