Best Public Administration Schools Near Summerville, SC (2026)

Updated August 31, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Summerville, South Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs. Summerville has a population of about 51,262. Median household income is $78,621 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 31.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is General and Operations Manager at a median $109,260 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Public Administration Schools to Summerville

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public administration programs near Summerville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Summerville city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Summerville. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

College of Charleston

Charleston, SC 20.6 miles from Summerville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
65.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,416
Avg net price $18,960/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of South Carolina-Columbia

Columbia, SC 84.2 miles from Summerville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,177
Avg net price $22,811/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 165

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

South University-Columbia

Columbia, SC 88.0 miles from Summerville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
18.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,421
Avg net price $27,693/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 39%
  • Programs offered: 14

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Columbia International University

Columbia, SC 90.2 miles from Summerville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
44.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,951
Avg net price $26,036/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 34

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Anderson University

Anderson, SC 175.7 miles from Summerville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
49.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,101
Avg net price $23,544/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 55

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Strayer University-South Carolina

Greenville, SC 179.7 miles from Summerville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
25.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 15%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,092
Avg net price $17,979/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 30%
  • Programs offered: 17

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Clemson University

Clemson, SC 191.4 miles from Summerville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
80.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 84%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,513
Avg net price $22,253/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 93%
  • Programs offered: 136

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all South Carolina schools on the South Carolina public administration page.

Public Administration Wages Near Summerville

Summerville is part of the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area (BLS area code 16700). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to South Carolina statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Social and Community Service Manager$79,130Charleston-North Charleston, SC$78,347
Urban and Regional Planner$74,840Charleston-North Charleston, SC$74,099
General and Operations Manager$109,260Charleston-North Charleston, SC$108,178
Management Analyst$104,650Charleston-North Charleston, SC$103,614

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Summerville at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population51,262Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$78,621Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+31.7%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)101.0 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Summerville-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public administration schools are near Summerville, SC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Summerville. The closest is College of Charleston in Charleston, SC (20.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is South University-Savannah Online (87.9 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public administration roles near Summerville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Summerville are: General and Operations Manager ($109,260), Management Analyst ($104,650), Social and Community Service Manager ($79,130). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with South Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in North Charleston instead of Summerville?

North Charleston, SC is 9.1 miles from Summerville and has its own set of local public administration programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Summerville an affordable place to study public administration?

Summerville’s median household income of $78,621 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Summerville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South Carolina public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Public Administration Programs

Other Programs Available in Summerville

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Summerville:

Data verified: August 31, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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