Best General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in South Carolina, Ranked (2026)

General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in South Carolina

General studies bachelor's degrees in South Carolina are four programs at four private colleges, none public, none online, and one ranked. North Greenville University in Tigerville scores 38.3, 129th in the national bachelor's ranking, on a 55% graduation rate, 14 degrees a year and $24,650 in tuition and required fees. It's the only program at this level to clear the threshold of 10 degrees a year, and its score rests on completion, since neither its price nor its size helps it much.

The other three awarded 2 to 6 degrees each and carry no score. Charleston Southern University graduates 47% at $31,030 on 6 degrees. Benedict College in Columbia is the cheapest at $18,000, awards 6 degrees and graduates 24%. Coker University in Hartsville charges $31,854, graduates 40% and awarded 2 degrees.

So the four together awarded 28 degrees in the latest year, half of them at North Greenville, and prices run from $18,000 to $31,854 with no resident discount anywhere because every college is private. The public universities that appear in South Carolina's general studies data, Coastal Carolina and Winthrop, award master's degrees in liberal studies rather than bachelor's, which is why a general studies bachelor's in this state means a private campus.

The Best General Studies Bachelor's Degree in South Carolina

The best general studies bachelor's degrees in South Carolina are ranked below by their national score, from the national bachelor's degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in South Carolina. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.

1. 1

   North Greenville University

   South Carolina

   38.3

   • Private nonprofit

   College graduation rate

   55%

   In-state tuition and fees

   $24,650 a year

   Degrees awarded, latest year

   14

   • College graduation rate percentile 66 / 100
   • In-state tuition and fees percentile 20 / 100
   • Degrees awarded, latest year percentile 11 / 100

   About the Program

   North Greenville University is a private nonprofit university in Tigerville, South Carolina that enrolls 2,304 students. It conferred 14 bachelor's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 11% of the bachelor's programs ranked at this level. Of the students who start at North Greenville University, 55% graduate, and that beats 66 in every 100 institutions on this measure. Tuition and fees hold at $24,650 a year whichever state you come from. About 67% of applicants are admitted, so an application is not a formality. Its strongest mark is the graduation rate of its college, at the 66th percentile.

Other General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in South Carolina

The other general studies bachelor's degrees in South Carolina awarded fewer than 10 degrees in the latest year or did not report a figure the ranking uses, so they are listed here without a score. That says something about size and nothing on its own about quality.

Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Graduation rate is the college's, for first-time, full-time students.

How Much Does a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Cost in South Carolina?

A general studies bachelor's degree in South Carolina costs a median of $27,840 a year in tuition and required fees for 2023-24 across the four programs, from Benedict College at $18,000 through North Greenville at $24,650 and Charleston Southern at $31,030 to Coker at $31,854. All four are private, so residents and out-of-state students pay the same, and the state's one general studies associate, Southern Wesleyan's at $27,870, costs more than two of these four-year programs.

The state's lottery-funded aid for two-year study stops short of the bachelor's. Lottery Tuition Assistance, under a state regulation, assists students who wish to attend two-year public or independent colleges in South Carolina, so it can pay for the first two years at a technical college before you transfer, with a floor of six credit hours in any term you claim it. A 2024 state flyer notes students aren't eligible for more than one certificate, diploma or degree within any five-year period unless the next one is progress in the same field. For the bachelor's years themselves at North Greenville, Charleston Southern, Benedict or Coker, budget on the listed price less federal aid and whatever the college offers.

How Does Credit Transfer Into a General Studies Bachelor's Degree in South Carolina?

Credit transfers into a general studies bachelor's degree in South Carolina under each college's own policy, because all four programs are private and the state's transfer guarantee binds only public institutions. Still, the Commission on Higher Education says students who earn an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science from a public two-year institution receive a minimum of sixty transfer credit hours at a public four-year college or university and are given junior status. If one of these four colleges honors something similar, it's by choice, so get it in writing.

The public framework still gives you a vocabulary. The Statewide Articulation Agreement of 86 courses applies to all public institutions, and covered coursework transfers with a C, 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, or above, so an AA or AS built from those courses at a technical college is the cleanest transcript you can bring. The Commission names the South Carolina Course Articulation and Transfer System as the primary tool and source of information for transfer in the state, so check equivalencies there before asking a private college to match them.

North Greenville awards 14 of these degrees a year, Charleston Southern and Benedict 6 each, and Coker 2. With programs that small, ask the registrar how many of your credits apply to the major and how many must be earned on campus.

What Do Jobs With a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Pay in South Carolina?

Jobs open to a general studies bachelor's degree in South Carolina pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.

How to Choose a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Program in South Carolina

To choose a general studies bachelor's degree program in South Carolina, weigh completion against price across four private campuses, because that's the whole field. North Greenville graduates 55% at $24,650, Charleston Southern 47% at $31,030, Coker 40% at $31,854, and Benedict's $18,000, the lowest price here, comes with a 24% graduation rate. North Greenville is the only one with enough graduates to be scored, and its 38.3 puts it 129th in the national bachelor's ranking.

None of the four reports a fully online option to the federal government, so plan on Tigerville, Charleston, Columbia or Hartsville, and ask each college what evening or hybrid sections it runs for working adults. Ask for its transfer policy in writing, since the state's 60-hour guarantee covers public colleges only, and ask what share of its transfer students finish, because the graduation rates above describe first-time, full-time students and may not describe you.

If you're starting with an associate degree, the general studies associate degrees in South Carolina have their own page.