For various reasons, all colleges and universities, including those located in Spartanburg, admit only a percentage of students who apply. As a result, a student may not enter an institution to which he or she has made application, and admissions standards and funding issues may cause students to forgo or postpone college.

Enrollment in Spartanburg County post-secondary institutions ranges from several hundred students to several thousand students, depending on the institution (see Table 8). A total of 13,238 students were enrolled in these institutions, full- or part-time, in fall 2006. The population of Spartanburg County for residents ages 18 – 24 was approximately 23,000 in 2006; therefore, approximately 58% of college age persons in the county were enrolled in college, at some level, in fall 2006. (A number of students legally reside in other counties or states, and a number of Spartanburg residents attend out of county institutions).