2025 Best Online Community Colleges in South Carolina

Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College (OCTC) provides online associate degrees and certificates for remote students. Some of the available degrees include programs in administrative office technology, criminal justice, business administration, and computer technology. There are also general degrees, like the Associate of Arts and Associate of Science, which help satisfy prerequisite requirements for students who want to transfer credits into a bachelor’s program in the future.

Why we like them: More than half of OCTC’s enrollees identify as Black, which allows the college to host STEM-related summer camps for younger learners to encourage them to enroll in college. OCTC also receives other grants to help current students stay in school if they’re in danger of dropping out for reasons related to finances or outside responsibilities. These grants are on top of several endowed scholarships that may potentially help online students reduce their college costs.

Tri-County Technical College (TCTC) offers 28 fully online programs in a variety of subjects — including early childhood development, criminal justice, and office administration. Some programs include transfer agreements that allow you to use your associate degrees more easily to pursue a bachelor's program. Others, like the Cisco Certified Networking Associate Certificate, can help you quickly seek employment.

Why we like them: If you’re not looking to enroll in a degree program, TCTC offers online career training programs. The school partners with Ed2go to provide open enrollment programs to help you obtain the necessary skills for your desired profession. Some of the most popular programs include chartered tax professional, certified freight broker, and medical billing and coding.

The Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL) offers 10 online associate degrees, certificates, and diplomas you can enroll in. Examples include associate degrees in administrative office technology, computer technology, and criminal justice. Some of the certificate programs include medical office assistant and criminal justice. TCL also has over 100 individual online courses you can pursue as well.

Why we like them: If you’re not trying to break the bank for online education, consider attending TCL. TCL offers some of the most affordable online tuition and fees in South Carolina. In addition, you may be eligible for the S.C. Lottery Tuition Assistance and other federal financial assistance programs. We know that affordability is a determining factor when it comes to choosing an online program, so we think TCL may be a suitable choice for low-cost online education.

ECPI University Online (ECPI) features a wide range of associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees completely online. Associate degree learners can choose from software development, mechanical engineering technology, electronic engineering technology, mechatronics, and cyber and information security technology programs. ECPI’s bachelor’s degrees include majors in nursing, healthcare administration, business management, cloud computing, and many more.

Why we like them: ECPI designs programs for working adults and includes flexible options. For example, you can choose a regular track if you want to aim for a traditional two-year associate degree or a four-year bachelor’s degree. However, the school also provides accelerated pathways by letting you take more courses during each five-week term. It’s nice that ECPI is upfront about the challenge of earning a degree while working full-time instead of overselling the ease of online learning.

Trident Technical College (TTC) offers a handful of fully online degree options you can pursue. These include four online associate degrees in business technology, criminal justice, homeland security, and hospitality and tourism management. If you plan to complete much of your general education courses at a two-year school before enrolling in a bachelor's program at a four-year school, you may also be interested in TTC's associate degree transfer program.

Why we like them: TTC is a military-friendly institution. This means that the community college supports active duty personnel, veterans, and their spouses and children through various programs and resources. These students can obtain tuition assistance, counseling, disability services, tutoring, a student resource center, an employment center, and scholarships. We appreciate that TTC strives to ensure military students and their families get the support they need for distance education.

Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC) offers fully online and hybrid programs that are flexible to meet the needs of working students. There are 16 online programs and classes, two of which are delivered in a hybrid format with on-campus requirements. Examples of 100% online programs include an Associate of Applied Science in Teacher Education and an Associate of Applied Science in Human Services.

Why we like them: HGTC makes it easy for you to transfer to a four-year university. As a member of the SC Technical College System, HGTC has transfer agreements with a number of universities around the state, including Clemson University and South Carolina State University. In addition, the community college has a host of online student support services. A few of the online resources include advising, disability services, career services, an online library, tutoring, and more.

Midlands Technical College (MTC) has one associate degree and several certificates that students can complete online. The Associate Degree in Criminal Justice Technology has fully asynchronous online coursework except for one biology class with live class meetings that students can attend remotely. Certificate students can also study online for a credential in supervising, medical coding and billing, criminal justice, or accounting and payroll.

Why we like them: MTC shows its dedication to the entire education pipeline by offering early-start courses to over 1,100 local high school students each year and helping a large segment of graduates transfer to four-year colleges. But the school is also popular with adult learners, with an average student age of 25. Another reason we like them is because MTC is a diverse online college, where more than half of the students hail from historically underrepresented backgrounds. This enriches classroom discussions, broadens understanding of course materials, and encourages critical thinking by exposing students to different viewpoints.

Piedmont Technical College (PTC) has 150 online individual courses, seven complete programs, and additional hybrid courses that require occasional campus visits. For the 100% online degree programs, PTC features six associate degrees and one certificate. There are two general degrees in an Associate in Science and Associate in Arts (transfer degrees), three associate degrees online in administrative office, and an Associate of Applied Science in Business Administration. You can also pursue an online office technician certification.

Why we like them: PTC facilitates online learning on the learning management system D2L Brightspace. With D2L Brightspace, you can access courses 24/7, contact instructors, and connect with classmates through discussion boards. If you’re new to online learning, PTC encourages you to complete the self-paced training on D2L Brightspace. This allows you to navigate the platform comfortably, move at your own pace, and improve your digital literacy skills.

Spartanburg Community College’s (SCCS) online learning department features flexible associate degree and certificate programs you can apply to. SCCS offers associate degree programs in management and accounting. In addition, you can choose from seven online certification programs in topics like accounting specialist, administrative support specialist, small business startup/entrepreneurship, logistics, criminal justice, and data analytics.

Why we like them: SCCS offers an online Associate of Arts. This degree is a university transfer degree program, which means that the curriculum is set up so that you can easily transfer to a four-year university. There’s a variety of pathways available, such as pre-professional healthcare, education, horticulture and agriculture, criminal justice, and arts and sciences. We appreciate that SCCS sets students up for success through its university transfer degree.