The University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA, formerly USC 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.
Campus
thumb|The quad fountain on USCA's main campus
The campus is located on in the Aiken area<!--The 2020 Census map shows much of the territory is not in the Aiken city limits-->, from Augusta, Georgia, and 60 miles from Columbia, South Carolina.
thumb|The Double Knot sculpture at the Robert E. Penland Administration Building
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 School of Education's undergraduate programs in early childhood, elementary, secondary, and special education are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Its graduate program for the M.Ed. in educational technology also is accredited by CAEP.
- The School of Business Administration is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
- The School of Nursing's program is approved by the South Carolina State Board of Nursing and is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission.
- USCA's master of science in applied clinical psychology degree program is accredited by the Master's in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC).
- USCA's department of chemistry and physics is nationally certified by the American Chemical Society. USCA is the smallest university in the state of South Carolina to be nationally certified by the American Chemical Society and one of only nine in the state.
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 Reports 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
{| class="wikitable floatright sortable collapsible"; text-align:right; font-size:80%;"
|+ style="font-size:90%" |Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023
|-
! Race and ethnicity
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total
|-
| White
|align=right|
|-
| Black
|align=right|
|-
| Hispanic
|align=right|
|-
| Two or more races
|align=right|
|-
| International student
|align=right|
|-
| Asian
|align=right|
|-
| Unknown
|align=right|
|-
! colspan="4" data-sort-type=number |Economic diversity
|-
| Low-income
|align=right|
|-
| Affluent
|align=right|
|}
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
thumb|The Convocation Center, home of USCA's basketball and volleyball programs
USCA's athletic teams are the Pacers. Competing in intercollegiate athletics at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), 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.