A branch campus of the University of South Carolina was established in 1959 at the site of the old Beaufort College, but the official opening was delayed by Hurricane Gracie.

In 2004, it also began offering programs for the United States Marine Corps on Parris Island, South Carolina.

The biology program allows students to explore and study first-hand the continental-shelf and estuarine environment with concentrations in marine science and in coastal ecology and conservation.

The Sand Sharks previously competed in the Continental Athletic Conference, formerly known as the Association of Independent Institutions (AII), for the 2022–23 school year only (which they were a member on a previous stint during the 2007–08 school year, which when the school began its athletics program and joined the NAIA), while they were continuing their transition as members of the Peach Belt and of NCAA Division II; and in the Sun Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), formerly known as the Florida Sun Conference (FSC), from 2008–09 to 2021–22.

Men's sports include basketball, baseball, cross country, golf and track & field (indoor and outdoor).

Women's sports include basketball cross country, golf, soccer, softball and track & field (indoor and outdoor).

[6] Men's and women's basketball were added to the scholarship sports as a condition of its NCAA and Peach Belt memberships, and USC Beaufort intended for the teams to start their first season in 2023–24.

[7][8] By July 15, 2022, USCB was already accepted into the Continental Athletic Conference for its first year of provisional membership while still playing a Peach Belt schedule as part of the Sand Sharks' one-year NAIA-NCAA dual membership, but are eligible for a Peach Belt post season play but ineligible for the NCAA postseason during the three-year transition.

The school offers apartment style housing, with each dorm consisting of four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen and dining area.