The best finance programs in South Carolina in 2026

Wofford runs its Finance major out of the Accounting, Business and Finance department, where finance students combine business coursework with Wofford's liberal arts core and learn from faculty with backgrounds spanning business, nonprofit, and academic careers. The department recognizes its strongest graduating seniors each year with a finance academic award chosen by faculty on academic excellence, a tradition the program has documented since 1988.

Wofford's numbers stand out for consistency: an 84% graduation rate, second only to Clemson's 87% among these four, and a 52% admit rate. Because Wofford is a private nonprofit college, tuition does not split by residency: every student pays $54,080 a year, higher than any in-state rate on this list but without the $23,000 to $25,000 out-of-state penalty that hits students at the three public schools. At 1,817 total enrollment, Wofford is by far the smallest school here, and its 86.4 Hakia Score ranks fourth in South Carolina for 2026, the tradeoff for students who want small class sizes and a liberal arts setting over a large research university.

College of Charleston's B.S. in Finance runs through the School of Business's Investment Program, where students trade and manage real money rather than working through simulations alone. Coursework ranges from international finance to banking management, and the program pushes students toward internships in their junior and senior years; recent finance majors have interned at Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, and Northwestern Mutual. Seniors close out the degree with a self-designed bachelor's essay built around their own financial interests, and the school also offers a standalone Finance minor for non-majors.

The numbers back the hands-on pitch. Charleston's finance program earns a Hakia Score of 85.3, the basis for its #5 ranking among South Carolina finance programs, on a 66% graduation rate and a 60% admit rate. In-state tuition runs $12,518 a year; out-of-state students pay $37,836, a gap of $25,318. That mix, public in-state pricing plus a real-money trading lab, fits a student who wants hands-on portfolio experience without a private-school price tag.

Anderson University's Bachelor of Science in Business (BSB) with a Finance concentration is a 128-credit-hour, seated program at the main campus, completed over 4 years across 8 semesters, inside the College of Business and Economics. The curriculum pairs financial markets, investment strategy, and corporate finance coursework with hands-on learning experiences, sitting alongside sibling BSB tracks in Accounting and in Computing and Data Analytics. Admission is rolling with no prior degree required; applicants get priority scholarship consideration by December 1 and a July 1 deadline to start that fall.

Anderson's Hakia Score of 83.5 places it #6 in South Carolina, just behind College of Charleston, on a 66% graduation rate and a more selective 55% admit rate. As a private nonprofit, tuition does not split by residency: every student pays $34,020 a year, in-state or out. That flat rate runs about $21,500 above Charleston's in-state price but only around $3,800 more than an out-of-state student would pay at that public option, a tradeoff that fits a student prioritizing small classes and a faith-informed curriculum over the lowest possible sticker price.

Coastal Carolina's Finance major leads to a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (B.S.B.A.) built around three concentrations: banking and consumer finance, corporate finance, and wealth management, the last of which the department ties to a CFA Focus. Students can layer on a Certificate in Financial Planning, an 18-credit-hour track built from six courses, including Investment Analysis, Retirement and Estate Planning, and a capstone Case Studies in Financial Planning course, aligned to CFP Board registration requirements. A separate 9-credit-hour Personal Finance certificate is open to any student who wants a grounding in budgeting, credit, and retirement planning without the full major.

The program carries a Hakia Score of 71.2, good for #7 in South Carolina, on a 48% graduation rate and a 75% admit rate, the more open admissions of the state's top programs. In-state tuition is $11,460 a year; out-of-state students pay $29,448, a $17,988 gap. That mix of low in-state cost, wide admissions, and a built-in CFP-aligned certificate track fits a student who wants a defined path toward financial planning licensure without private-school rates.

Francis Marion's B.B.A. in Finance sits inside a 102-hour BBA core, adding 18 hours of finance coursework built around two required courses, Principles of Investments and Advanced Corporate Finance, plus 12 hours chosen from electives like Principles of Real Estate, Security Analysis and Portfolio Management, and Financial Markets. Classes are small, and the School of Business staffs them with faculty pulled from industry, government, and consulting. Finance majors can also declare an 18-hour Finance minor built from the same course list.

Francis Marion posts a Hakia Score of 60.5, the #8 ranking among South Carolina finance programs in this set, on a 43% graduation rate and an 86% admit rate, the easiest of these four programs to get into. It is also the cheapest: in-state tuition runs $10,394 a year against $20,768 out-of-state, a $10,374 gap and the lowest sticker price on this list. That profile, wide-open admissions and the lowest cost, fits a student who wants a finance credential at the smallest up-front price and is prepared to supply more of the follow-through given the lower graduation rate.

Charleston Southern University is a private, nonprofit institution in Charleston, SC. Its Bachelor's in Finance program ranks #9 of the 10 analyzed here with a 58.1 Hakia Score, a composite of graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and graduate outcomes. That sits below the 77.7 group average, in the lower third of the 10 ranked programs. The program graduates 47% of its students, below the 64% average across the ranked schools. Charleston Southern University admits 96% of applicants, less selective than the 64% average for the group. That is more open than the 23% rate at Citadel Military College of South Carolina, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 43% to 87%.

On cost, Charleston Southern University charges $31,870 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $127,480 in tuition. That puts it at the higher end on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $8,356 at Citadel Military College of South Carolina to $54,080 at Wofford College. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with an $88,870 national median salary reported by the BLS. It earns its place in the top 10 on the balance of cost, completion, and outcomes.

Charleston Southern University is a private, nonprofit institution in Charleston, SC. Its Bachelor's in Finance program ranks #10 of the 10 analyzed here with a 57.1 Hakia Score, a composite of graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and graduate outcomes. That sits below the 77.7 group average, in the lower third of the 10 ranked programs. The program graduates 47% of its students, below the 64% average across the ranked schools. Charleston Southern University admits 96% of applicants, less selective than the 64% average for the group. That is more open than the 23% rate at Citadel Military College of South Carolina, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 43% to 87%.

On cost, Charleston Southern University charges $31,870 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $127,480 in tuition. That puts it at the higher end on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $8,356 at Citadel Military College of South Carolina to $54,080 at Wofford College. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with an $88,870 national median salary reported by the BLS. It earns its place in the top 10 on the balance of cost, completion, and outcomes.