University of South Carolina

Higher Educationsc.edu

The University of South Carolina is a public R1 research university in Columbia, SC, serving 35,000+ students with 350+ degree programs across 8 campuses (including an international Qatar branch), funded by tuition, research grants, philanthropy, and auxiliary services.

Company typePrivate
Founded1801
HeadquartersColumbia, United States
Headcount5,001–10,000
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What University of South Carolina does

The University of South Carolina is a public R1 research university founded in 1801 in Columbia, South Carolina, operating as the flagship of the state's public higher education system under the governance of the USC Board of Trustees. The institution serves more than 35,000 students across eight campuses — the main Columbia campus, seven regional campuses (Upstate, Lancaster, Salkehatchie, Sumter, Aiken, Beaufort, and Union), and an international branch campus in Education City, Doha, Qatar — supported by a workforce of 15,000+ faculty, staff, and administrators. USC delivers 350+ degree programs spanning 15 colleges and schools, including Arts and Sciences, Darla Moore School of Business, Engineering and Computing, two Schools of Medicine (Columbia and Greenville), Pharmacy, Nursing, Public Health, Law, and the South Carolina Honors College.

The university's product portfolio extends beyond degree programs into applied research and technology platforms. Key offerings include the Brain Health Center (in partnership with Prisma Health, featuring South Carolina's only 7-Tesla MRI), the Carolina Institute for Battery Innovation (CIBI) with EnerSys and Phenogy, the OneTest for Cancer platform using a patented PSA velocity algorithm, and the OneTest for Longevity product built on IBM watsonx.ai. Research initiatives span quantum technology (AQSEL, AQRII, SC-Q-Sentinel as part of a $15M state initiative), the Social Media Insights Lab's Sports Social Pulse analytics, and active NIH funding that places the College of Pharmacy in the national top 25.

USC's revenue model is diversified across five streams: tuition and fees (subscription/recurring), federal and state research grants from NIH, NSF, and DoD, private philanthropy and endowments, technology licensing and royalties, and auxiliary services (housing, dining, athletics, parking). Pricing is segmented by residency status, program, and degree level with state scholarship programs (Palmetto Fellows, LIFE, HOPE) supporting in-state affordability. Distribution occurs through direct admissions at campus locations, online/distance learning, and community college transfer articulation agreements, with marketing conducted via digital channels, recruitment events, NCAA Division I athletics brand visibility, and alumni relations.

University of South Carolina firmographics

Firmographics

Name: University of South Carolina
Legal name: University of South Carolina
Website: https://sc.edu
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1801
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 5,001–10,000 employees
Short description: The University of South Carolina is a public R1 research university in Columbia, SC, serving 35,000+ students with 350+ degree programs across 8 campuses (including an international Qatar branch), funded by tuition, research grants, philanthropy, and auxiliary services.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

University of South Carolina industry classification

Industry

Product category: Higher Education
NAICS: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)
SIC: Services-Educational Services (8200)
akta.pro primary industry: Flagship Public Research Universities (R1/R2) (EDAHAAAA)
akta.pro secondary industry: Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI)

Keywords

Higher education
Research university
Degree programs
Online learning
Continuing education

Where University of South Carolina is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Columbia
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

University of South Carolina business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

Tuition and Fees: Revenue generated from student tuition, mandatory fees, and program-specific charges for undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs across all campuses.
Research Grants and Contracts: Federal and state funding from agencies including NIH, NSF, and Department of Defense for sponsored research programs across disciplines.
Private Philanthropy: Donations from alumni, corporations, and foundations supporting scholarships, endowments, and capital campaigns.
Technology Licensing and Royalties: Revenue from licensing university-developed technologies, patents, and innovations to industry partners.
Auxiliary Services: Revenue from housing, dining services, athletics, parking, and other student life services.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Annual	In-state undergraduate tuition

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

University of South Carolina product offering

Product offering

Core offering

The University of South Carolina is a public research university that delivers more than 350 bachelor's, master's, doctoral, professional, and certificate degree programs through 15 colleges and schools across its flagship campus in Columbia, seven regional campuses in South Carolina, and an international branch campus in Doha, Qatar. In addition to instruction, the university conducts sponsored research funded by NIH, NSF, the Department of Defense, and other agencies; licenses technologies such as the PSA cancer detection algorithm; and provides auxiliary services (housing, dining, athletics) to more than 35,000 students.

Product overview

The University of South Carolina is a public research university offering over 350 degree programs across 15 colleges and schools including Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering and Computing, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health. The university's product portfolio includes educational programs (undergraduate, graduate, doctoral degrees), research institutes (Carolina Institute for Battery Innovation, Brain Health Center), healthcare technology platforms (OneTest for Cancer, OneTest for Longevity using IBM watsonx.ai), analytics services (Sports Social Pulse), and quantum technology research initiatives (AQSEL, AQRII, SC-Q-Sentinel). The institution also operates administrative services for students including financial aid, bursar operations, and academic advising through its various offices and divisions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

Darla Moore School of Business: The university's business school, consistently ranked among the top business programs in the nation.
Palmetto College
Carolina Honors College
South Carolina Gamecocks

Products and services

Degree Programs Over 350 bachelor's, master's, doctoral, professional, and certificate degree programs across the College of Arts and Sciences, Darla Moore School of Business, College of Education, College of Engineering and Computing, The Graduate School, College of Hospitality Retail and Sport Management, College of Information and Communications, Joseph F. Rice School of Law, School of Medicine Columbia, School of Medicine Greenville, School of Music, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, Arnold School of Public Health, College of Social Work, and South Carolina Honors College.
Brain Health Center A collaborative research and clinical center focused on Alzheimer's care and neurological research, anchored by the only 7-Tesla MRI scanner in South Carolina for early detection and translational brain-health research.
Carolina Institute for Battery Innovation (CIBI) A regional battery research and innovation hub housed at the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing with industry partners EnerSys and Phenogy, supporting faculty and graduate researcher engagement in battery science and commercialization.
OneTest for Cancer Platform AI-powered cancer detection platform that integrates a patented PSA velocity algorithm developed by Dr. James Hébert to detect aggressive prostate cancers earlier than standard thresholds, licensed from the university.
OneTest for Longevity AI-powered blood test combining inflammatory biomarkers with lifestyle data using IBM watsonx.ai and the university's Dietary Inflammatory Index research to provide personalized insights on aging and chronic disease risk.
Sports Social Pulse A measurement and analytics service developed by USC's Social Media Insights Lab in partnership with Sports Business Journal that ranks national collegiate football teams' social-media performance.
Quantum Technology Research Programs (AQSEL, AQRII/ScaLab, SC-Q-Sentinel) Research programs covering quantum sensing for power-grid monitoring (AQSEL), quantum computing optimization for industry readiness and performance testing (AQRII and ScaLab), and quantum-enhanced cybersecurity for smart-city infrastructure (SC-Q-Sentinel) under South Carolina's $15 million quantum initiative.
National Resource Center for Transfer Students (hosting the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students) A national center dedicated to supporting transfer-student mobility and research, expanding its remit in 2026 to host the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students.
Palmetto Fellows Scholarship Program for GSSM Graduates Scholarship program awarding $10,000 annually to South Carolina Governor's School for Science & Mathematics graduates who enroll at the Columbia campus as Palmetto Fellows, supporting academically talented STEM students.

Quantifiable outcome

Top 25 nationally in NIH funding for College of Pharmacy research

Companies that use University of South Carolina

Customer profile

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

University of South Carolina technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

University of South Carolina partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

Prisma HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor healthcare system partnership establishing the Brain Health Center for collaborative research, clinical training, and healthcare innovation addressing neurological conditions and brain health research.
Hamad Bin Khalifa UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQatar's premier graduate-focused university partnership supporting the extended joint degree program at Education City, enabling collaborative academic programs and research initiatives between the institutions.
National University of Science and Technology in Oman (NUST Oman)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership establishing an engineering college collaboration, facilitating academic exchanges, joint research projects, and educational program development in engineering disciplines.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

University of South Carolina competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Virginia Tech: Virginia Tech is a public R1 research university with comparable engineering/computing and life-science research scale, multi-campus structure, and Division I athletics, making it a strong peer on research funding mix and academic portfolio.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville: UT Knoxville is a Southeastern flagship public R1 research university with similar Carnegie classification, federal research funding profile (DoD/NIH/NSF), and SEC athletic affiliation, competing directly with USC for research prestige and out-of-state students.
University of Florida: UF is a leading public R1 research university with a comparable scale of degree programs, NIH research funding, and flagship status in a Southeastern state. It is one of USC's primary aspirational and competitive benchmarks for research output and enrollment.
University of Georgia: UGA is a flagship Southeastern public R1 research university and a direct SEC/peer competitor for out-of-state enrollment, NIH/NSF research funding, and graduate talent. Overlaps heavily with USC in size, public-research status, and student demographics.
Clemson University: Clemson is South Carolina's other flagship-tier public research university and the most direct in-state peer, competing with USC for in-state students, state appropriations, research funding, and athletics recruits (ACC vs. SEC). Comparable R1 research classification and similar Carnegie profile.
University of Alabama: The University of Alabama is a public R1 research university with comparable degree-program breadth, NIH research standing, and SEC athletic prominence, making it a near-substitute peer in size, mission, and competitive set.
Auburn University: Auburn is a public R1 research university with a comparable mix of health-sciences, engineering, and pharmacy research, a multi-campus presence, and an SEC athletics profile that mirrors USC's competitive positioning.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: UNC-Chapel Hill is a flagship public R1 research university comparable to USC in Carnegie classification, degree portfolio breadth, public-mission focus, and NCAA Division I athletics footprint, and competes for the same pool of Southeast applicants and research grants.

Broad incumbents

University of Michigan: Michigan is a much larger and more established public R1 research university that competes with USC for top graduate talent, federal research dollars, and national rankings; it serves as the aspirational benchmark for USC's research enterprise even though its scale exceeds USC's.
Penn State University: Penn State is a large public R1 research university with a multi-campus system, Division I athletics, and substantial federal research funding that mirrors USC's structure and provides a relevant comparison for distributed-campus economics and online/regional programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

University of South Carolina financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

University of South Carolina leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

University of South Carolina subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries8 records

University of South Carolina funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

University of South Carolina M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about University of South Carolina

What does University of South Carolina do?

Is University of South Carolina a public or private company?

University of South Carolina is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was University of South Carolina founded?

University of South Carolina was founded in 1801. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.

Where is University of South Carolina based?

University of South Carolina is headquartered in Columbia, United States, in the North America region.

How does University of South Carolina make money?

Five revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Fees are the primary driver. The others are research Grants and Contracts, private Philanthropy, technology Licensing and Royalties and auxiliary Services.

Who are University of South Carolina's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Virginia Tech, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, University of Florida, University of Georgia, Clemson University, University of Alabama, Auburn University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Broad incumbents are University of Michigan and Penn State University.

Does University of South Carolina have an API?

No public API is recorded for University of South Carolina.

What industry is University of South Carolina in?

University of South Carolina's product category is Higher Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHAAAA, Flagship Public Research Universities (R1/R2), with a secondary code of EDAHAAAI, Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems. Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 8200.