Nursing in South Carolina

South Carolina has 38 nursing schools spread across 42 cities,  most schools are concentrated in the state’s urban and suburban centers like Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, and Spartanburg.  The pattern reflects the state’s broader healthcare resource distribution, which also favors metro regions where major hospital systems such as Prisma Health, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), and Greenville Health System are located.

The average NCLEX pass rate for South Carolina nursing graduates stands at 90.4% for 2025-2026, slightly above the national average, but a wide range from 87.1% up to 94.7% exists across individual programs. Public universities and well-established community college ADN programs generally post higher pass rates, while some smaller and for-profit programs have struggled historically. This variation highlights the importance of choosing programs with strong clinical partnerships and faculty support.

South Carolina’s participation in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) allows registered nurses licensed in the state to practice in any other compact state without applying for additional licenses. Currently, South Carolina’s compact membership includes most Southeastern neighbors except Georgia, which is not a compact state; this provides some but not full regional mobility for nurses.

RNs in South Carolina earn an average salary of about $81,390, with entry-level or rural nurses closer to $60,780 and specialty nurses or those in metro jobs earning near $98,980. Advanced practice nurses see significantly higher pay, with nurse practitioners averaging $116,940 and certified registered nurse anesthetists reaching $233,920. Registered nurses’ salaries in the state are somewhat balanced by a moderate cost of living, but housing and urban-area expenses can make entry-level salaries tight, especially for new graduates.

Tuition varies widely: LPN programs at community colleges typically cost $5,000 to $8,000 per year, ADN programs range from roughly $8,000 to $15,000 annually, and BSN programs at public universities average $12,000 to $20,000 per year. Private nursing schools charge more, sometimes exceeding $25,000 per year. This cost spectrum corresponds to the mix of community colleges that serve much of the student body and a smaller number of private providers.