Olympia Armory · Photo: Upstateherd · CC BY-SA 4.0Olympia is a college town: 32 of every 100 residents are students
No college sits inside Olympia’s boundary, but the University of South Carolina-Columbia’s campus in Columbia, with 33,511 students on campus, is 1.7 miles from the center of town, and Midlands Technical College is 4.9 miles away in West Columbia. Across South Carolina, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.
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 Olympia. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Olympia
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
What it’s like to live in Olympia
How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.
32 of every 100 Olympia residents are in college (SC: 6).
How students change Olympia’s other numbers
Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →
Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 77.1% of Olympia residents are below the poverty line, 66.5% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 39 points either way). 100% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.
The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (32% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.
CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Olympia’s median age is 24.2 (South Carolina 40.2), so the adult figures describe a young population.
Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.
Colleges within 15 miles of Olympia
Seven private colleges within 9.6 miles, one public college within 1.7 miles, and Midlands Technical College 4.9 miles away.
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. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at Under $30k, where Olympia’s median household income ($29,663) 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 within 15 miles of Olympia: 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. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Fortis College-Columbia (5); South University-Columbia (10).
Questions about college near Olympia
Is Olympia a college town?
Yes. 32 of every 100 Olympia residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across South Carolina. The nearest campus, the University of South Carolina-Columbia, is 1.7 miles away in Columbia.
What colleges are near Olympia?
9 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: the University of South Carolina-Columbia (1.7 miles, 33,511 students on campus), Midlands Technical College (4.9 miles, 5,986) and Benedict College (2.8 miles, 1,575).
Why is Olympia’s poverty rate so high?
Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 77.1% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 66.5% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 39 points).
What is the closest community college to Olympia, and what does it cost?
Midlands Technical College in West Columbia, 4.9 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,100 a year for South Carolina residents; the federal net price, $4,647, counts housing and food at full cost.
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 Olympia. 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 →