Cedar Bluff · Photo: Bill Fitzpatrick · CC BY-SA 3.0The University of South Carolina-Union is 3.6 miles from Buffalo
No college sits inside Buffalo’s boundary, but the University of South Carolina-Union’s campus in Union, with 1,073 students on campus, is 3.6 miles from the center of town. About 1% of Buffalo’s residents are enrolled in college, below South Carolina (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Buffalo. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Buffalo
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Buffalo
It is public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Buffalo.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at Under $30k, where Buffalo’s median household income ($21,614) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.
Questions about college near Buffalo
Is Buffalo a college town?
No. About 1 of every 100 Buffalo residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below South Carolina (6). The nearest campus, the University of South Carolina-Union, is 3.6 miles away in Union.
What colleges are near Buffalo?
Within 15 miles: the University of South Carolina-Union (3.6 miles, 1,073 students on campus).
What is the closest community college to Buffalo, and what does it cost?
University of South Carolina-Union in Union, 3.6 miles away. Tuition and fees are $7,558 a year for South Carolina residents; the federal net price, $8,065, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does the University of South Carolina-Upstate cost if we live in South Carolina?
Tuition and fees are $11,588 a year in-state and $23,090 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $11,618 (under $30,000 income) to $19,325 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Buffalo. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →