Located in Cherokee County in the small town of Gaffney, South Carolina, Limestone College is an independent college with several four-year liberal arts programs. Students can pursue a bachelor's degree in art, social work, science, or an associate degree in either arts or science. Limestone College also offers several extracurricular activities including sports, debate clubs and drama clubs.
Also located in Gaffney, Spartanburg College offers day and night classes for more than 80 educational degree options. Spartanburg College focuses on academic pursuits, offering few athletic opportunities for students and not many clubs or organizations. Bachelor's degrees are unattainable at Spartanburg, as students only have the option of pursuing an associate degree in any of the many fields of study.
Limestone College was first established in 1845 and was the first women's college operated in South Carolina. It wasn't until the late 1960s that the school became available for both men and women. Limestone College was established by a British scholar in the attempt to allow the opportunity for education to those who did not previously have the option to pursue higher education.
Founded in 1961, Spartanburg College was first established as a trade school for two-year degrees and technical training. The school has come a long way since then, offering online and distance-learning courses for two-year degrees since 2001.
Located in Spartanburg, just outside the eastern edge of Cherokee County and 21 miles from Gaffney, are two other colleges that serve residents of the county.
Converse College offers honors programs as well as non-traditional school opportunities for students who work during the day or have children to watch. The school primarily focuses on programs in the humanities, arts and education.
Another alternative in Spartanburg is Wofford College, which was founded in 1859. It offers more than 50 academic fields of study, from accounting to sociology. The campus is located on a beautiful, wooded 170-acre plot. Students at Wofford College can also look forward to hundreds of extracurricular activity opportunities and organizations.