South Carolina Community Colleges
Nursing Programs
Compare nursing programs across community colleges in this state. ADN, LPN, and pre-nursing pathways with section counts and transfer details.
10 colleges · 291 sections · 68 unique courses · Summer 2026 · Updated today
South Carolina community colleges are the most popular launchpad into nursing in the state — 10 SCTCS institutions offer the coursework and clinical hours required for the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN exam, and many graduates step directly into staff-nurse roles at local hospitals without ever attending a four-year school. The associate degree in nursing (ADN) typically takes two years full-time; LPN programs run 12–18 months.
This term, the 291 sections across these 10 colleges span the full nursing pipeline: pre-nursing prerequisites like anatomy and microbiology, the clinical ADN sequence, and bridge-to-BSN pathways for nurses planning to continue toward a bachelor's. Programs vary in clinical site partnerships, NCLEX pass rates, and waitlist length, so it pays to compare each college's awards-per-year and graduate earnings below before choosing where to apply.
Earnings & outcomes for Nursing graduates
Federal College Scorecard data on what graduates of this program actually earn after completion. Where a school’s cohort is too small to publish, we show the national benchmark for the same field of study.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, per-program (4-digit CIP) data. CIP 5138 — Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. School cohorts are suppressed by the federal source when fewer than ~30 completers in the reporting cohort.
Colleges offering Nursing
| College | Sections | Courses | Online | Awards/yr | 5-yr earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horry-Georgetown Technical College | 88 | 9 | — | 250 | $73,559 |
| Midlands Technical College | 74 | 13 | 3 | 195 | $74,968 |
| Piedmont Technical College | 38 | 10 | — | 172 | $75,776 |
| Trident Technical College | 25 | 17 | — | 336 | — |
| Florence-Darlington Technical College | 18 | 6 | — | 96 | — |
| Tri-County Technical College | 15 | 6 | — | 195 | $75,993 |
| Greenville Technical College | 13 | 13 | — | 295 | $72,911 |
| Technical College of the Lowcountry | 10 | 7 | — | 73 | $77,312 |
| Aiken Technical College | 8 | 4 | — | 103 | — |
| York Technical College | 2 | 1 | — | 187 | $57,845 |
Nursing Availability Snapshot
How nursing sections are being offered across 10 colleges in South Carolina this term (291 sections total).
Delivery format
- in person265 (91%)
- hybrid23 (8%)
- online3 (1%)
When sections meet
- Morning (before noon)186
- Afternoon (noon–5 PM)80
- Evening (5 PM and after)2
- Asynchronous / TBA23
Start dates
Sections begin on 20 distinct dates. 84 late-start more than two weeks after the term's earliest start.
Instructor diversity
Taught by 94 distinct instructors across 10 colleges.
Degree requirements by college
Expand a college to see the courses required for graduation. Data sourced from each college's official catalog.
Central Carolina Technical College4 programs
Spartanburg Community College3 programs
Trident Technical College4 programs
York Technical College6 programs
Common Nursing courses
- NUR 162Psych & Mental Hea Nsg(37 sections)
- NUR 120Basic Nursing Concepts(23 sections)
- NUR 150Chronic Health Problems(18 sections)
- NUR 155Contemporary Nursing Pract I(10 sections)
- NUR 158Health Promotion for Fam I(9 sections)
- NUR 235Contemp Med Surg Nur Concepts(9 sections)
- NUR 215Management of Patient Care(8 sections)
- NUR 220Family Centered Nursing(8 sections)
- NUR 221Advanced Nursing Concepts(8 sections)
- NUR 211Care of Childbearing Family(7 sections)
- NUR 201Transition Nursing(6 sections)
- NUR 208Hlth Promotion for Families II(6 sections)
Career outlook for Nursing graduates
Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data for the primary career outcome of this program (2024 OEWS release). Compare South Carolina’s typical pay to the national picture before choosing where to study.
South Carolina's typical pay is about 6% below the typical state — common for lower cost-of-living states, but worth weighing against tuition savings.
Wage data reflects all workers in the occupation, not just recent CC graduates — entry-level pay is typically lower. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I become a registered nurse from a community college?
- Yes. An associate degree in nursing (ADN) from any accredited South Carolina community college qualifies you to sit for the NCLEX-RN exam — the same exam BSN graduates take. ADN-prepared RNs work in the same hospitals and earn the same starting wage as BSN-prepared RNs at most South Carolina employers, though some larger health systems prefer or require a BSN within 5 years of hire.
- How long does the nursing program take?
- The ADN is typically a 2-year full-time program (4 semesters of core nursing courses after prerequisites). Most South Carolina community colleges expect students to complete 1–2 semesters of prerequisites — anatomy, physiology, microbiology, English, statistics — before applying to the competitive nursing cohort, so the total time from first enrollment is often 3 years.
- Do nursing credits transfer to a bachelor's program?
- Yes. Every SCTCS ADN program has at least one RN-to-BSN bridge partnership with a four-year university — usually the closest state university. ADN graduates can typically complete the BSN online in 12–18 months while continuing to work as an RN, often with their employer covering tuition.
- What's the demand for nurses in South Carolina?
- Strong and growing. BLS projects RN employment to grow 6% nationally through 2032 — faster than the average occupation — and South Carolina faces the same aging-population pressure driving demand. Most South Carolina ADN graduates have job offers before completing the program; rural hospitals and long-term care facilities offer signing bonuses and tuition forgiveness to recruit RNs.
Compare Nursing programs in other states
Same comparison view, different state systems. Useful if you’re considering an out-of-state community college or just want to see how South Carolina’s nursing programs stack up.
Other programs in South Carolina
Some programs may not be offered at every college — pages render only when the program meets a coverage threshold for the state.