South Carolina has 5 CSWE-accredited Bachelor of Social Work programs, the authoritative count from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs. The longest-accredited is Winthrop University, which has held CSWE accreditation since 1974. None of the 5 record an online option, all are campus-based. 1 at a Carnegie R2 (high research) university.
Each program below is scored on the same five-factor model used in our national ranking, so the order reflects accreditation longevity, delivery and schedule flexibility, program breadth, and the institution's Carnegie research tier, all applied identically nationwide.
South Carolina BSW programs at a glance
5
CSWE-accredited BSW programs
1974
Oldest, Winthrop University, accredited since
0
Offer an online option
1
At an R1 or R2 research university
South Carolina's 5 programs span CSWE accreditation from 1974 to 1990, and the highest-scoring on our five-factor model is Winthrop University at 7.2 out of 10. The newest, South Carolina State University, earned accreditation in 1990. Among the South Carolina programs we have verified tuition for, published in-state tuition runs from $9,528 to $15,980 a year. A child, family, and school social worker in South Carolina earns a median of $51,800 a year, 13% below the national median of $59,550 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
All 5 CSWE-Accredited BSW Programs in South Carolina
Every one of these BSW programs in South Carolina holds current CSWE accreditation. Status, dates, campus locations and online options come from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs, and each card cites its own sources inline. Tuition is shown for reference only and is not factored into the score.
- #1
Winthrop University
Rock Hill, SC · CSWE-Accredited since 1974 · On-Campus
7.2
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 1974Why it ranks in South Carolina
Based in Rock Hill, Winthrop University is a public university offering a BSW in South Carolina. The department partners with the South Carolina Department of Social Services on a Title IV-E Child Welfare Scholars Program, which recruits first-semester juniors each fall through a competitive application and provides training and tuition assistance. Three minors, in social welfare, child and youth well-being, and gerontology, are open to students in other majors. Bachelor's-level assessment data is published every year, with reports online going back to 2011, drawn from embedded course measures, practicum evaluations and student self-efficacy reports. Findings are reviewed at an August department retreat and sent to the College of Arts and Sciences and to the Council on Social Work Education. CSWE accreditation dates to 1974, 52 years of unbroken standing, above the South Carolina median of 47 years.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $15,306 · Out-of-state $29,636 / year
Locations
Rock Hill, SC (1974-Present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #2
Columbia College
Columbia, SC · CSWE-Accredited since 1979 · On-Campus
7.0
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 1979Why it ranks in South Carolina
Based in Columbia, Columbia College is a private university offering a BSW in South Carolina. Coursework runs through ethics, human behavior, social welfare policy analysis and practice skills in assessment, interviewing and intervention. A child welfare certificate sits alongside the major, requiring two child welfare courses held to a 3.0, and students who place in a South Carolina Department of Social Services child welfare unit have that noted on the certificate. The major is taught on campus with start dates in January and August, and classes are generally held in the evening. Some online options exist within an otherwise face to face, semester based schedule. Published tuition is $15,980 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, in line with the South Carolina median of $15,306.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$15,980 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Columbia, SC (1979-Present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 9.5
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #3
Benedict College
Columbia, SC · CSWE-Accredited since 1980 · On-Campus
6.9
On-Campus Full-time 1 campus 2 certificates Accred. since 1980Why it ranks in South Carolina
Based in Columbia, Benedict College is a private university offering a BSW in South Carolina. Students who declare as freshmen take SW 111 and 112 seminars, then SW 230 Introduction to Social Work, which carries a 20-hour volunteer requirement in a human service agency. Admission to the major then requires an application form and a joint interview with the SW 230 instructor and the department chair. Benedict was the first HBCU social work program in South Carolina to earn full CSWE accreditation, in 1981, after entering candidacy in 1974. Majors can add a 9-hour certificate in Child Protective Services built on two child maltreatment courses, or a 12-hour interdisciplinary gerontology certificate spanning social work, health and family studies. Published tuition is $15,400 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, in line with the South Carolina median of $15,306.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$15,400 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Columbia, SC (1980-Present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 9.4
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 7.0
- #4
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC · CSWE-Accredited since 1974 · On-Campus
6.7
On-Campus Full-time 1 campus Accred. since 1974Why it ranks in South Carolina
Based in Columbia, University of South Carolina is a private university offering a BSW in South Carolina. The degree totals 120 credit hours across the Carolina Core, college requirements and the major. Coursework covers practice at each systems level along with theory, policy and research, and at least nine hours are reserved for social work electives. The practicum spans three courses. A field readiness application and interview with the Field Education Office come in the fall of junior year, then 400 hours run through the senior year across SOWK 481 and SOWK 482 under a BSW credentialed field instructor, with a field liaison visiting the student and instructor once each semester. Published tuition is $13,725 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, below the South Carolina median of $15,306.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$13,725 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Columbia, SC (1974-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
- #5
South Carolina State University
Orangeburg, SC · CSWE-Accredited since 1990 · On-Campus
6.2
On-Campus Carnegie R2 Full-time 1 campus Accred. since 1990Why it ranks in South Carolina
Based in Orangeburg, South Carolina State University is a public university offering a BSW in South Carolina. The program is taught face to face and takes four years, or three for students arriving with relevant transfer credit. Social work courses run at a 15 to 1 student to faculty ratio. Juniors can compete for the BSW Tuition Assistance Program, which pays tuition for selected majors who commit to at least two years serving the children and families of the South Carolina Department of Social Services after graduation. Phi Alpha and the Social Work Club give majors a campus network alongside it. In-state tuition runs $9,528 a year against $20,218 for nonresidents, below the South Carolina median of $15,306. It carries the lowest published in-state tuition among the BSW programs in South Carolina.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $9,528 · Out-of-state $20,218 / year
Locations
Orangeburg, SC (1990-Present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 7.8
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 7.5
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
The Social Work Industry in South Carolina
A Bachelor of Social Work is the entry credential for South Carolina's front-line social-service workforce. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET, social workers are employed across public human-services and child-welfare agencies, hospitals and health systems, K-12 schools, community mental-health and substance-use programs, aging and disability services, and nonprofit and faith-based organizations. BSW-level roles are generalist and direct-practice: case manager, child and family caseworker, community and behavioral-health worker, and social and human-service assistant. Supervisory, therapeutic, and independent clinical positions generally require a master's. If you plan to pursue graduate education, BestMSWPrograms.org covers the best MSW programs to help you take that next step.
Per the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs, South Carolina's 5 accredited programs are based across 3 cities, including Rock Hill, Columbia, Orangeburg, all campus-based. 1 is hosted at a Carnegie research university (R1 or R2), which adds research and teaching-hospital placements to the local training pipeline. CSWE standards require supervised field education, so programs build placement partnerships with local agencies, hospitals, schools, and nonprofits, which makes the state's campuses a training and hiring pipeline into the surrounding South Carolina social-service economy.
Nationally, the BLS projects social-worker employment will grow 7% from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations, with about 67,300 openings projected each year, many from the need to replace workers who leave the occupation. The BLS projects faster-than-average growth for healthcare social workers and for mental health and substance abuse social workers, specialties that hire at both the bachelor's and master's levels.
Child, family, and school social workers, the most common BSW-level specialty, have a location quotient of 0.95 in South Carolina, meaning the occupation is 5% less concentrated than the national average. The state supports roughly 2.4 of these jobs per 1,000 jobs statewide.
In South Carolina, social workers held about 9,780 jobs across the four social work occupations as of May 2025, per the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. Employment, annual wages, and pay range by specialty:
| Occupation | Employed in SC | Median | Mean | 10th to 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child, family, and school social workers | 5,520 | $51,800 | $53,860 | $38,530 to $77,390 |
| Healthcare social workers | 3,100 | $60,840 | $62,020 | $40,450 to $83,990 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers | 720 | $39,930 | $43,820 | $30,250 to $63,970 |
| Social workers, all other | 440 | $96,350 | $92,120 | $43,860 to $118,580 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025. Wages cover all workers in each occupation; BLS does not break wages out by degree, and BSW-level roles typically fall toward the lower end of each range. Location quotient compares the state's job concentration to the national average (1.0 = the national rate). O*NET reports tasks, skills, and local outlook by occupation.
Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Social Workers; BLS state wage data for South Carolina; O*NET: Child, Family, and School Social Workers; CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs; HRSA health workforce shortage areas.
Social Work Licensure in South Carolina
Licensing data from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the body that develops the social work licensing exams, captured 2026.
South Carolina licenses social workers at the bachelor level, so a CSWE-accredited BSW is the degree requirement for an entry-level license here. That makes program accreditation, the basis of our ranking, a direct licensing prerequisite.
| License | Name | Exam | CSWE BSW required |
|---|---|---|---|
| LBSW | Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker | ASWB Bachelors exam | Yes |
The license ladder continues to the master's level (LISW-AP, LMSW), and the clinical, independent-practice level (LISW-CP). A CSWE-accredited BSW also qualifies graduates for Advanced Standing admission to a master's program.
How We Ranked These Programs
Every program is scored on the same five-factor model used in the national ranking, with no state-specific adjustments. Four factors are drawn from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs; prestige uses the institution's 2025 Carnegie research classification.
- Accreditation longevity (40%): years of continuous CSWE accreditation.
- Delivery flexibility (22%): online option and number of approved campus locations.
- Prestige (15%): 2025 Carnegie research tier (R1, R2, or baseline).
- Schedule flexibility (12%): full-time and part-time plans of study.
- Program breadth (11%): embedded certificates and dual-degree options.
For the full model, see our ranking methodology.