Key differences on Getting in

1
U. Tennessee-Knoxville admits 42% vs. 57% at U. South Carolina-Columbia
Acceptance rate
2
U. Tennessee-Knoxville's yield is 4 pts higher than U. South Carolina-Columbia's
Yield rate
3
U. Tennessee-Knoxville's SAT midpoint is 5 points higher than U. South Carolina-Columbia's
SAT midpoint

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

Acceptance and yield, test score ranges, test policy, and what each college weighs.

The funnel

Acceptance rate

U. Tennessee-Knoxville42%Most selective

U. South Carolina-Columbia57%

Applicants

U. Tennessee-Knoxville59.8KMost

U. South Carolina-Columbia59.6K

Admitted

U. Tennessee-Knoxville24.9K

U. South Carolina-Columbia33.7KMost

Yield rate

U. Tennessee-Knoxville27%Highest

U. South Carolina-Columbia23%

Quad's selectivity

U. Tennessee-KnoxvilleVery selective
U. South Carolina-ColumbiaSelectivefrom South CarolinaVery selectivefrom other states

Men and women

Acceptance rate for men and women who applied, where a college reports admissions by sex.

Women admitted

U. Tennessee-Knoxville39%

U. South Carolina-Columbia63%

Men admitted

U. Tennessee-Knoxville45%

U. South Carolina-Columbia55%

Test scores

SAT total,

U. Tennessee-Knoxville

1200–1370

U. South Carolina-Columbia

1200–1360

Axis runs 1100–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

U. Tennessee-Knoxville

25–31

U. South Carolina-Columbia

26–32

Axis runs 21–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT

U. Tennessee-Knoxville24%

U. South Carolina-Columbia32%

Submitted ACT

U. Tennessee-Knoxville81%

U. South Carolina-Columbia15%

Test policy

U. Tennessee-KnoxvilleTest scores required
U. South Carolina-ColumbiaTest-optional

How they read a record

U. Tennessee-Knoxville
GPA and the high school record are required; a college-prep program is considered.
U. South Carolina-Columbia
GPA is very important; , class rank, and tests are all important. 48% of first-years had a 3.75 or higher.

What they look at

Factor	U. Tennessee-Knoxville	U. South Carolina-Columbia
High school GPA	Required	Very important
High school record	Required	Considered
Class rank	Not considered	Important
College-prep program	Considered	Required
Recommendations	Considered	Considered
Essay	Required	Considered
Legacy status	Not considered	Not considered
Work experience	Considered	Considered
Demonstration of competencies	Considered	Not considered
English proficiency test	Required	Required
Other tests	Not considered	Not considered

All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;College Scorecard, most recent release;University of South Carolina-Columbia (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;University of South Carolina-Columbia Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;University of South Carolina-Columbia Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why