State profile · SC · Clery Act

Safest Colleges in South Carolina

Federal Clery Act filings for all 85 tracked South Carolina campuses, ranked by 2024 on-campus Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents per 1,000 students. Among nonzero reporters, Greenville Technical College currently has the lowest rate.

85
Institutions tracked
1.82
Avg campus rate / 1k (85 of 85 scored)
1.94
Statewide rate / 1k
#26
Rank by avg campus rate
258,955
Students enrolled

Among nonzero Clery reporters, Greenville Technical College has the lowest rate in South Carolina

According to U.S. Department of Education Clery Act filings, across 85 tracked campuses in South Carolina, 46 reported zero 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents used in the rate; among campuses with any in those categories, Greenville Technical College has the lowest rate at 0.08 per 1,000 students. This comparison excludes other Clery tables and unreported harm, so review the details before drawing a safety conclusion.

Data source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey

campuses tracked
85
average campus, per 1,000 (85 of 85 scored)
1.82
lowest nonzero rate - Greenville Technical College
0.08
campuses at zero in score categories
46

Data updated August 2026

Clery Act plate

Sheet SC · South Carolina 1.82/1k campus avg · #26/59

RATE-LOW · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · ZERO-MIX · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-MID

  • RATE-LOW 1.82/1k
  • RANK-MID #26/59
  • PHOTO-FINISH Illinois · ±0.06
  • ZERO-MIX 54% zero
  • WT-LARGE-HOT Δ −0.12
  • BOOK-FULL 85/85
  • CONC-MID top5 41%

Nearest campus-rate peer: Illinois (+0.06/1k)

South Carolina sheet RATE-LOW · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · ZERO-MIX · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-MID · peer Illinois. Codes from this state’s OPE Campus Safety filing: unweighted campus rate, corpus rank (low = safer), photo-finish peer state, zero-report share, campus-vs-weighted gap, scored book, top-five enrollment concentration. Not a moving recommendation.

Clery plate RATE-LOW · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · ZERO-MIX · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-MID. Nearest unweighted-rate peer is Illinois (+0.06/1k). Among nonzero reporters inside the state, Greenville Technical College leads at 0.08/1k. Instrument codes from this state's OPE Campus Safety sheet; compare similarly sized campuses before treating any single rate as decisive.

South Carolina's unweighted average campus rate sits better than 56% of scored U.S. states; inside the state, Greenville Technical College has the lowest nonzero rate at 0.08/1k, ahead of Trident Technical College (0.15/1k); Midlands Technical College (0.22/1k). The five largest campuses still hold 41% of enrolled students, so enrollment weight and campus-average rank can diverge.

Campus-rate neighbourhood around South Carolina

Lowest/highest poles plus states nearest South Carolina on unweighted average campus Clery rate. Full ladder: /rankings/.

per 1,000 students

What this shows Neighbourhood of scored states around South Carolina's 1.82/1k unweighted campus average, not a full 50-state board reprint.

Source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey (Clery Act) As of 2024

Safest colleges in South Carolina, ranked by reported rate

Ranked from the lowest 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA rate upward, counting only the 39 South Carolina campuses with at least one incident in those score categories. Positions are numbered within that group, because a rank counted through the zero-score campuses below would order them by nothing.

9
Lander University Greenwood · 4,378 students
Enrollment
4,378
Incidents /1k
0.91
17
Columbia College Columbia · 1,725 students
Enrollment
1,725
Incidents /1k
2.32
27
Coker University Hartsville · 1,325 students
Enrollment
1,325
Incidents /1k
4.53
28
Arclabs Piedmont · 744 students
Enrollment
744
Incidents /1k
5.38
33
Wofford College Spartanburg · 1,817 students
Enrollment
1,817
Incidents /1k
7.15
36
Furman University Greenville · 2,554 students
Enrollment
2,554
Incidents /1k
9.79
37
Newberry College Newberry · 1,536 students
Enrollment
1,536
Incidents /1k
11.72
38
Morris College Sumter · 383 students
Enrollment
383
Incidents /1k
13.05
# Campus EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 Greenville Technical College Greenville · 11,999 students 11,999 0.08 4% of the leader · rank #1
2 Trident Technical College Charleston · 13,552 students 13,552 0.15 4% of the leader · rank #2
3 Midlands Technical College West Columbia · 9,226 students 9,226 0.22 4% of the leader · rank #3
4 Central Carolina Technical College Sumter · 2,825 students 2,825 0.35 4% of the leader · rank #4
5 University of South Carolina Aiken Aiken · 4,022 students 4,022 0.50 4% of the leader · rank #5
6 University of South Carolina-Sumter Sumter · 1,845 students 1,845 0.54 4% of the leader · rank #6
7 Coastal Carolina University Conway · 11,348 students 11,348 0.70 5% of the leader · rank #7
8 Spartanburg Community College Spartanburg · 6,653 students 6,653 0.90 6% of the leader · rank #8
9 Lander University Greenwood · 4,378 students 4,378 0.91 6% of the leader · rank #9
10 Francis Marion University Florence · 4,112 students 4,112 0.97 7% of the leader · rank #10
11 Bob Jones University Greenville · 2,734 students 2,734 1.10 8% of the leader · rank #11
12 Strayer University-South Carolina Greenville · 2,110 students 2,110 1.42 10% of the leader · rank #12
13 Anderson University Anderson · 4,710 students 4,710 1.49 10% of the leader · rank #13
14 Fortis College-Columbia Columbia · 582 students 582 1.72 12% of the leader · rank #14
15 University of South Carolina-Upstate Spartanburg · 4,916 students 4,916 2.03 14% of the leader · rank #15
16 Charleston Southern University Charleston · 3,832 students 3,832 2.09 15% of the leader · rank #16
17 Columbia College Columbia · 1,725 students 1,725 2.32 16% of the leader · rank #17
18 College of Charleston Charleston · 11,926 students 11,926 2.43 17% of the leader · rank #18
19 University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia · 38,532 students 38,532 2.57 18% of the leader · rank #19
20 Clemson University Clemson · 29,077 students 29,077 2.82 20% of the leader · rank #20
21 Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston · 3,793 students 3,793 2.90 20% of the leader · rank #21
22 North Greenville University Tigerville · 2,304 students 2,304 3.04 21% of the leader · rank #22
23 University of South Carolina Beaufort Bluffton · 2,208 students 2,208 3.17 22% of the leader · rank #23
24 Converse University Spartanburg · 1,787 students 1,787 3.92 27% of the leader · rank #24
25 Southeastern College-Charleston North Charleston · 226 students 226 4.42 31% of the leader · rank #25
26 Denmark Technical College Denmark · 675 students 675 4.44 31% of the leader · rank #26
27 Coker University Hartsville · 1,325 students 1,325 4.53 32% of the leader · rank #27
28 Arclabs Piedmont · 744 students 744 5.38 38% of the leader · rank #28
29 Winthrop University Rock Hill · 4,894 students 4,894 5.52 39% of the leader · rank #29
30 Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Florence Florence · 172 students 172 5.81 41% of the leader · rank #30
31 Presbyterian College Clinton · 1,095 students 1,095 6.39 45% of the leader · rank #31
32 Claflin University Orangeburg · 1,852 students 1,852 6.48 45% of the leader · rank #32
33 Wofford College Spartanburg · 1,817 students 1,817 7.15 50% of the leader · rank #33
34 Medical University of South Carolina Charleston · 3,246 students 3,246 8.01 56% of the leader · rank #34
35 South Carolina State University Orangeburg · 3,242 students 3,242 8.95 63% of the leader · rank #35
36 Furman University Greenville · 2,554 students 2,554 9.79 68% of the leader · rank #36
37 Newberry College Newberry · 1,536 students 1,536 11.72 82% of the leader · rank #37
38 Morris College Sumter · 383 students 383 13.05 91% of the leader · rank #38
39 Spartanburg Methodist College Spartanburg · 1,119 students 1,119 14.30 100% of the leader · rank #39

Unranked campuses (46): zero score or no normalized rate

46 filed zero 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents in the score categories; other Clery tables can still contain reports. Neither group supports a safety ordering, so these campuses are listed alphabetically without positions. Showing 15 alphabetically; the remaining 31 stay out of this HTML table so large states stay crawlable.

Benedict College Columbia · 1,691 students
Enrollment
1,691
Incidents /1k
0.00
Clinton College Rock Hill · 126 students
Enrollment
126
Incidents /1k
0.00
Erskine College Due West · 912 students
Enrollment
912
Incidents /1k
0.00
# Campus EnrollmentIncidents /1k
Academy for Careers and Technology Mullins · 37 students 37 0.00
Academy of Hair Technology Greenville · 58 students 58 0.00
Aiken Technical College Graniteville · 2,307 students 2,307 0.00
Allen University Columbia · 610 students 610 0.00
American College of the Building Arts Charleston · 155 students 155 0.00
Barber Tech Academy Orangeburg · 59 students 59 0.00
Barber Tech Academy-Columbia Columbia · 51 students 51 0.00
Benedict College Columbia · 1,691 students 1,691 0.00
Charleston Cosmetology Institute Charleston · 100 students 100 0.00
Charleston School of Law Charleston · 692 students 692 0.00
Clinton College Rock Hill · 126 students 126 0.00
Columbia International University Columbia · 2,914 students 2,914 0.00
Erskine College Due West · 912 students 912 0.00
Florence-Darlington Technical College Florence · 3,522 students 3,522 0.00
Galen Health Institutes-Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach · 743 students 743 0.00

Open any remaining campus from the school directory or the incident tool.

The largest universities in South Carolina by enrollment

Enrollment leaders: University of South Carolina-Columbia (38,532); Clemson University (29,077); Trident Technical College (13,552), then 82 more. The 15 biggest South Carolina institutions by total enrolled students, from the same federal IPEDS collection, each shown with its 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA rate. The five largest alone account for 41% of the 258,955 students enrolled across all 85 tracked South Carolina institutions. Mid-pack by size sits near University of South Carolina-Union (1,402 students, 0.00/1k).

# Institution EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia · 38,532 students 38,532 100% of the leader · rank #1 2.57
2 Clemson University Clemson · 29,077 students 29,077 75% of the leader · rank #2 2.82
3 Trident Technical College Charleston · 13,552 students 13,552 35% of the leader · rank #3 0.15
4 Greenville Technical College Greenville · 11,999 students 11,999 31% of the leader · rank #4 0.08
5 College of Charleston Charleston · 11,926 students 11,926 31% of the leader · rank #5 2.43
6 Coastal Carolina University Conway · 11,348 students 11,348 29% of the leader · rank #6 0.70
7 Midlands Technical College West Columbia · 9,226 students 9,226 24% of the leader · rank #7 0.22
8 Horry-Georgetown Technical College Conway · 7,923 students 7,923 21% of the leader · rank #8 0.00
9 Spartanburg Community College Spartanburg · 6,653 students 6,653 17% of the leader · rank #9 0.90
10 Tri-County Technical College Pendleton · 5,890 students 5,890 15% of the leader · rank #10 0.00
11 Piedmont Technical College Greenwood · 5,143 students 5,143 13% of the leader · rank #11 0.00
12 University of South Carolina-Upstate Spartanburg · 4,916 students 4,916 13% of the leader · rank #12 2.03
13 Winthrop University Rock Hill · 4,894 students 4,894 13% of the leader · rank #13 5.52
14 York Technical College Rock Hill · 4,771 students 4,771 12% of the leader · rank #14 0.00
15 Anderson University Anderson · 4,710 students 4,710 12% of the leader · rank #15 1.49

Enrollment is total reported students, not full-time equivalent, and a branch campus is reported separately from its parent institution. A larger campus is not a less safe one: the incident rate beside it is already per 1,000 students.

Nationwide states with similar campus scale or Clery rate

Two nationwide peer sets for South Carolina: closest on tracked campus count (85 here) and closest on unweighted average 2024 Clery rate (1.82/1k here). The rate-neighbourhood and keep-peer blocks above stay geo-adjacent; these columns are cross-state ABS comparisons with deduped link sets.

Similar campus count

Nearest other states by number of tracked postsecondary institutions (≥5 scored campuses in corpus).

Similar campus Clery rate

Nearest other states by unweighted average on-campus Clery rate. Campus-count peers above are excluded.

Read with this state

Keep-peer handoff: Illinois sits nearest on unweighted campus average (+0.06/1k). Inside South Carolina, open Greenville Technical College's campus sheet next.

Greenville Technical College profile → | All states → | South Carolina net price → | Incident tool → | Methodology →

South Carolina campus safety FAQ

What are the safest colleges in South Carolina?

Among South Carolina campuses that reported at least one 2024 Criminal Offense or VAWA incident in the Clery categories used here, Greenville Technical College has the lowest rate (0.08 per 1,000 students). Next among nonzero reporters: Trident Technical College (0.15/1k); Midlands Technical College (0.22/1k). 46 campuses reported zero in those score categories and are listed separately without a safety ordinal, because a zero report is not the same as a proven safer campus.

How does PlainCampus rank campus safety in South Carolina?

In South Carolina, campuses with any 2024 Criminal Offenses or VAWA incidents in the score categories are ordered by incidents per 1,000 students - Greenville Technical College currently leads that nonzero list at 0.08/1k. Zero-report and unscored campuses stay unranked and alphabetical. See /methodology for the full rate definition.

How many colleges in South Carolina are compared?

This page covers 85 tracked higher-education institutions in South Carolina, serving about 258,955 enrolled students combined across 38 cities. 39 carry a ranked nonzero rate; 46 are listed without a safety ordinal. By enrollment the largest are University of South Carolina-Columbia (38,532); Clemson University (29,077); Trident Technical College (13,552). Nearby state averages for context: Illinois (1.87/1k); Wisconsin (1.75/1k); Alabama (1.70/1k); New York (1.95/1k); U.S. Virgin Islands (1.67/1k); Georgia (1.66/1k).

Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal Clery Act source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.