University of South Carolina Aiken


The University of South Carolina Aiken is a public university in the Aiken, South Carolina area. 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 including the bachelor of science in business administration online through Palmetto College.
WWW usca.edu𝕏 uscaikenFB uscaikenIG uscaiken

Campus

The campus is located on in the Aiken area, from Augusta, Georgia, and 60 miles from Columbia, South Carolina.
As of 2020 portions of the campus are in the Aiken city limits, though the majority is outside of the Aiken city limits in an unincorporated area.

Academics

The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Many of its programs are accredited or approved by program- or discipline-specific accreditors:
The University of South Carolina Aiken was ranked number 49 among "Regional Universities" in the southern US in the 2023 edition of U.S. News & World Report's guide America's Best Colleges. In 2019, the university was ranked #1 among top public regional colleges in the southern US. The university has frequently been ranked in the top three public regional colleges and has been ranked first eleven times: 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021.

Students

As of the fall of 2021, USCA had an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 3,101 undergraduate students and 768 graduate students. Students enjoy a low faculty-to-student ratio of 14:1 and 69% of classes consisting of 20 or fewer students. The university reached record enrollment rates in the fall of 2018.

Student life

Greek life

The Greek system at USCA consists of five fraternities and seven sororities. In fall 2021, seven percent of undergraduate men and six percent of undergraduate women were active in USCA's Greek life community.

Student publications

The school newspaper is the weekly Pacer Times, Founded in 1963 as the Rebellaire, physical copies of the Pacer Times were once printed by the Aiken Standard. The school also has a student-run literary journal, Broken Ink.

Athletics

USCA's athletic teams are the Pacers. Competing in intercollegiate athletics at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the Pacers have been members of the Peach Belt Conference since the 1990–91 academic year.
The school's teams were initially known as the Rebels. The mascot name was changed to Pacers in 1971.
The Pacers compete in ten intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, and soccer; women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, and volleyball. Men's and women's tennis were discontinued at the end of the 2018–19 school year. The Pacers have also formerly offered both a cheerleading program and an award-winning dance team, with both replaced by a combined co-ed spirit squad.

Notable alumni