Columbia, SC (population: 130,246) has one nursing school within its city limits. South University has a total student population of 1,273. It is the 4359th highest ranked school in the USA and the 54th highest in the state of South Carolina (#1 is Clemson University). To learn more about nursing programs in Columbia, ratemyprofessors.com has reviews of nursing professors at South University such as Michelle Liken.
Nursing students from Columbia schools who go on to become nurses, registered nurses, practical nurses, pediatric nurses, etc. have a good chance at finding employment. For example, there are 2,583,770 people working as registered nurses alone in the US, and their average annual salary is $66,530. Also, Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses make on average $40,900 per year and there are about 728,670 of them employed in the US today. In fact, in the Columbia area alone, there are 1,920 employed licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses earning an average salary of $39,670. Registered nurses in this area earn $59,830/yr and there are 7,740 employed.
Columbia lies in Richland county, which is one of the 27 counties in South Carolina. Overall, the Columbia area has 334,600 total employed workers according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 0.9% unemployment rate, $18.76/hr average worker wage, and a $39,020 average annual salary. Thus, about 23.134 out of every 1000 jobs in Columbia are held by registered nurses, and 5.728/1000 are held by licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses.
After taking into account tuition, living expenses, and financial aid, South University ends up costing a student $22,810/yr.
| Name | State | Population | # of Schools | Avg School Rank | Total Programs | Distance from Columbia |
| Denmark | SC | - | 2 | 12.8531 | 54 | 51.7 miles |
| Hartsville | SC | - | 2 | 23.3042 | 83 | 52.1 miles |
| Graniteville | SC | - | 1 | 8.50122 | 49 | 62.2 miles |
| Rock Hill | SC | 72,341 | 5 | 30.0256 | 144 | 62.8 miles |
| North Augusta | SC | - | 1 | 27.4739 | 4 | 72.2 miles |
| Augusta | GA | - | 8 | 15.8236 | 215 | 75.4 miles |
| Martinez | GA | - | 2 | 23.4797 | 14 | 77.2 miles |
| Charlotte | NC | 723,514 | 18 | 27.5295 | 455 | 80.3 miles |
| Belmont | NC | - | 2 | 36.2771 | 82 | 83.6 miles |
| Gastonia | NC | 75,340 | 1 | 28.6194 | 5 | 85.2 miles |
| Spartanburg | SC | 40,665 | 7 | 35.0859 | 216 | 86.0 miles |
| North Charleston | SC | 99,930 | 3 | 24.6487 | 24 | 92.3 miles |
| Laurinburg | NC | - | 1 | 18.8047 | 40 | 96.0 miles |