Looking to party? The University of South Carolina is just the place, according to the Wall Street Journal.
With football tailgates, booming Greek Life and students frequenting Five Points, Columbia’s nightlife district, nearly every night of the week, the Journal has named USC one of the best party school in the country.
USC earned the No. 9 spot on the Journal’s “Best Party Schools in the U.S.” for 2025.
The Journal compiles college rankings annually with College Pulse, a college-focused research firm. Together, they surveyed tens of thousands of students and recent alumni and asked dozens of questions about student life.
This year, the Journal asked about how often students were likely to find parties on or around campus, and if they considered their college a “party school” — and to what extent. That data helped form the rankings, along with questions about how satisfied students were with the party scene. The number of nights per week that a student might be able to find a party to attend was also a factor.
Being ranked a top party school school shouldn’t come as a surprise to most USC students and alumni. Niche, a popular review website gave the university an “A+” for its party scene, citing football game festivities, fraternity parties and access to local bars. And The Princeton Review has named USC a top 20 party school several times in the last decade.
“We’re always glad to be recognized for our superior student experience, even though the ‘party school’ label doesn’t give the complete picture,” university spokesman Jeff Stensland said. “Our students do have a lot of fun, and they’re not shy about that, but they also take academics and service opportunities seriously. A fulfilling student experience is about striking a healthy balance and that’s what we offer at USC.”
For six years in a row, USC has been ranked No. 1 in the country for its first-year student experience by U.S. News and World Report.
Schools in the Southeastern Conference have the highest average score for partying, the Journal reported. And large, public universities in the South and Midwest largely dominated the top of the list.
Tulane University in New Orleans was crowned as the top college for partying by the Journal, followed by the University of Dayton, Florida State University, Michigan State University, the University of Alabama, the University of Wisconsin, Miami University and West Virginia University.
