No South Carolina college made it into U.S. News and World Report's annual list of the hardest colleges in which to be accepted, but there are plenty of schools that are picky about whom they allow entry.
The state's largest schools — Clemson and USC — rank in the middle of the pack, while some of the state's smallest private schools rank among the most selective. Claflin College, which turns away more than 60 percent of applicants, has an enrollment of just 1,961 students.
Surprisingly, the state's public military college, The Citadel, accepts more than three-quarters of its applicants, though it ranks as one of the region's most prestigious institutions of higher learning.
Here's a list of the state's colleges and universities sorted by acceptance rate.
| College | Acceptance Rate |
| Claflin University | 39.09 |
| Lander University | 46.26 |
| Coker College | 52.87 |
| Limstone College | 53.19 |
| Converse College | 53.33 |
| Francis Marion University | 58.68 |
| Allen University | 60.46 |
| Newberry College | 60.86 |
| University of South Carolina | 63.12 |
| Clemson University | 63.28 |
| Wofford College | 64.82 |
| Erskine College | 66.82 |
| Presbyterian College | 67.39 |
| Wingthrop University | 68.41 |
| Columbia College | 68.84 |
| College of Charleston | 73.51 |
| Coastal Carolina University | 74.61 |
| Benedict College | 74.64 |
| Anderson University | 74.88 |
| The Citadel | 76.89 |
| Furman University | 83.02 |
| South Carolina State University | 95.81 |
| Southern Wesleyan University | 97.36 |
| SOURCE: US News and World Report | |
*Not all colleges disclose their acceptance data.