| The University of South Carolina Aiken | |
| Type: | Public university |
| Parent: | University of South Carolina System |
| Chancellor: | Daniel Heimmermann[1] |
| Provost: | Phillip Bridgmon |
| Faculty: | 251 |
| Students: | 3,840[2] |
| Undergrad: | 3,145 |
| Postgrad: | 695 |
| City: | Aiken, South Carolina |
| Country: | U.S. |
| Coor: | 33.5733°N -81.7684°W |
| Campus: | Urban, 453acres |
| Colors: | Pacer Blue, Ace Red, & Triumph Gray |
| Sports Nickname: | Pacers |
| Athletics Affiliations: | NCAA Division II – Peach Belt |
| Mascot: | Ace the Pacer |
The University of South Carolina Aiken (USC Aiken or USCA) is a public university in Aiken, South Carolina. 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.[3]
The campus is located on 453acres in Aiken, 18miles from Augusta, Georgia, and 60 miles from Columbia, South Carolina.[4]
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.[5]
The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Many of its programs are accredited by program- or discipline-specific accreditors:
As of the fall of 2021, USC Aiken 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.[7] The university reached record enrollment rates in the fall of 2018.
The Greek system at USC Aiken consists of five fraternities and seven sororities. In fall 2021, seven percent of undergraduate men and six percent of undergraduate women were active in USC Aiken's Greek life community.[8]
CPC sororities
IFC fraternities
NPC fraternities
NPHC sororities
The school newspaper is the weekly Pacer Times,[9] Founded in 1963 as the Rebellaire,[10] physical copies of the Pacer Times were once printed by the Aiken Standard.[11] The school also has a student-run literary journal, Broken Ink.[12]
See main article: USC Aiken Pacers.
USC Aiken'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.[13]
The Pacers compete in ten intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, and soccer; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, and volleyball. Men's and women's tennis were discontinued at the end of the 2018–19 school year. The Pacers have also formerly offered both a cheerleading program and an award-winning dance team, with both replaced by a combined co-ed spirit squad.