High optical quality Nd-doped ${\mathrm{Sc}}_2\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_5$ crystal with size of diameter $27\mathrm{mm}\times 60\mathrm{mm}$ was obtained by Czochralski method. An x-ray diffraction pattern of Nd:SSO crystal confirmed that the as-grown crystal was isostructual with the SSO crystal. Absorption and emission spectra were recorded at $10\mathrm{K}$ . The Judd–Ofelt theory was applied to obtain standard parameters $\Omega \mathit{t}(\mathit{t}=2,4,6)$ and the fitting result of experimental absorption line strengths, which provided the ${}^4\mathit{F}_{3∕2}$ radiative lifetime $\left({\tau }_{\mathrm{rad}}\right)$ of $219\mu \mathrm{s}$ and the luminescence branching ratio β of 0.57 for the ${}^4\mathit{F}_{3∕2}–{}^4\mathit{I}_{9∕2}$ laser transition. The stimulated emission cross section of $1.04\times {10}^{-19}{\mathrm{cm}}^2$ at $1074\mathrm{nm}$ was calculated using the Füchtbauer–Ladenburg equation. The ${}^4\mathit{F}_{3∕2}$ luminescence lifetimes with $215\mu \mathrm{s}$ at $10\mathrm{K}$ and $198\mu \mathrm{s}$ at $300\mathrm{K}$ were determined from luminescence decay curves, indicating high quantum efficiency in the Nd:SSO crystal. All these results showed that Nd:SSO would be a promising gain media in solid-state lasers.