2023 Best Online Colleges in South Carolina

Students at Columbia College in South Carolina can choose from 12 different online bachelor's degrees and five online minors and certificates. The college offers majors in business administration, business analytics, organizational leadership, computer science, emergency management, healthcare, and speech-language pathology, among others. Online students use the learning management platform Canvas to access readings, watch videos, and participate in discussions. Columbia College students can access services such as telehealth counseling and virtual appointments for career counseling services. Columbia College is a private four-year school with affiliations to the United Methodist Church. It serves around 1,000 undergraduate students, and 38% enroll fully online.

Citadel Military College of South Carolina, which is a public institution, offers a select number of fully online degrees. The school is particularly strong in online master's programs in business administration, civil engineering, and educational leadership. Nearly all applicants are accepted, and 70% of students earn their degree.

Distance learners at Citadel use the Canvas learning platform to view lectures and readings, submit homework assignments, and engage in class discussions. The majority of enrollees — 92% — study full time.

The Medical University of South Carolina, which is a public institution, offers a small selection of online degrees. These include a bachelor's in healthcare studies; master's degrees in extracorporeal science or health informatics; an executive master's or doctorate in health administration; and a doctorate in nurse anesthesia practice.

At this school, distance learners access their online course materials, complete lab assignments, and engage in class discussions through the Blackboard learning management system. Nearly all students attend school full time.

At the publicly run Clemson University, students can earn one of 36 online graduate degrees and certificates. Among the school's many offerings are master's degrees in business administration, public administration, and secondary education, as well as PhDs in healthcare genetics, learning sciences, and teaching and learning.

Distance learners access their online courses through the Canvas learning management system. Clemson has a fairly competitive acceptance rate of 43% and a graduation rate of 85%, and 95% of enrollees study full time.

The University of South Carolina's Columbia campus offers more than 50 online bachelor's, master's, and postgraduate degrees spanning eight colleges. Examples include a bachelor's in integrated information technology and a master's in library science. The school is particularly known for its array of online master's and doctoral programs in nursing.

Distance learners use the Blackboard learning platform to view lectures and readings, submit homework assignments, and engage in class discussions. This public school has a 64% acceptance rate and a 78% graduation rate. The majority of enrollees — 95% — study full time.

At the College of Charleston, students can take online courses while pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees. Avenues of study include bachelor's and master's degrees in the arts; business; education; health sciences; humanities and social sciences; languages, cultures, and world affairs; and sciences, mathematics, and engineering.

College of Charleston online students access their course materials and participate in learning activities through the OAKS learning management system on the D2L platform. The school has a 76% acceptance rate and a 65% graduation rate. Of all enrollees, 93% are full-time students.

Southern Wesleyan University (SWU) is a small private Christian university serving around 1,000 undergraduate students, with more than 25% enrolled in fully online programs. Students can choose from eight different bachelor's programs online in fields such as early childhood and family studies, special education, human services, and religion. Online courses typically last seven weeks, and students can review course materials when it's convenient for them rather than meeting with their class at a set time. SWU is known for being a military and veteran-friendly university and offers a tuition discount for active duty military and their spouses. The university also offers online library resources, virtual office hours with professors, 24/7 technology support for the Canvas learning management system, and tutoring services.

Limestone University (Limestone), a private four-year Christian college, is located in Gaffney. Students at Limestone can choose from a wide variety of online bachelor's degrees in everything from healthcare administration to computer science. Online students can apply at any time and can start their degree on one of six start dates throughout the year. Limestone serves more than 1,500 students, and 39% are enrolled fully online. Once they apply and are accepted, students will meet with an academic advisor to finish the enrollment process and sign up for classes, and will continue to get support from them throughout their program. The university also provides student services such as virtual career development resources, a student success app, and an online writing center.

The University of South Carolina - Upstate (USC-Upstate) is a public university offering online graduate and undergraduate degree programs in fields such as health informatics, political science, information management, nursing, and public relations. About one in five students at USC-Upstate are online only, and the school serves more than 5,000 students. Online courses are taught by the same faculty as campus ones and are accessed through the Blackboard learning platform. Student support resources include telehealth counseling and medical services for students living in-state, tutoring, career services, and technical support.

Anderson University, which is a private, non-profit college associated with the Baptist church, offers nearly 50 online bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. Two of its most popular online programs are the bachelor's in business administration and the master's in teacher education.

The school has an acceptance rate of 45% and a graduation rate of 60%. Of all enrolled students, 87% attend school full time.

Through the University of South Carolina's Aiken campus, students can earn one of 16 online bachelor's and master's degrees. A total of 11 bachelor's degree completion programs are available in business, finance, emerging media, psychology, special education, and more. Distance learners can also pursue MBAs in general management, accounting, finance, project management, or a master's of educator leadership.

Distance learners at Aiken use the Blackboard learning platform to view lectures and readings, submit homework assignments, and engage in group learning activities. This public school has an acceptance rate of 76% and a graduation rate of 42%, and 79% of enrollees study full time.

Charleston Southern University (CSU) is a Baptist school with a wide variety of bachelor's programs online, including degrees in applied computing, criminal justice, healthcare administration, human resources, project management, and student ministry. CSU offers accelerated seven-week online classes so students can fast-track their bachelor's degree. Classes are also asynchronous, so students can review lectures and course materials when it's convenient rather than meeting with their class at a regularly scheduled time. Student resources available to online students include career services, access to learning and writing centers, and support for military veterans. CSU serves more than 2,500 undergraduate students, and more than half enroll in both online and campus courses. The university's most popular degrees include registered nursing, business, and education.

A private, non-profit Christian college, Columbia International University offers 45 online associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. Some of the specific options include a bachelor's in clinical counseling, a bachelor's in theology, a master's of divinity, and an MBA. This fairly competitive school accepts only 48% of all applicants and graduates 70% of its students.

Columbia International delivers all of its online courses through the CourseWorks learning management system. Two-thirds of students attend school full time.

Coastal Carolina University, which is a public institution, offers a selection of 10 online bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, as well as four online graduate certificates. At the bachelor's level, online learners can study information technology, hospitality management, marketing, or health administration. At the master's level, degrees are available in business administration, information systems technology, and education.

Online students use Moodle to access their course materials, complete homework, and participate in class discussions. The school has a 79% acceptance rate and a 48% graduation rate, and 91% of enrollees study full time.

At Winthrop University, a public university, students can earn one of six online master's degrees. The possible areas of study are: arts administration, social work, business administration, special education, sport and fitness administration, and human nutrition.

Distance learners at Winthrop view lectures and readings, submit homework assignments, and engage in group learning activities on the Blackboard learning platform. This public school has an acceptance rate of 70% and a graduation rate of 61%, and 89% of enrollees study full time.