USC guarantees admission for top SC high school students, wants to expand local applicants

In an effort to ensure the state’s qualified high school students have a place at the University of South Carolina, the state’s flagship public university will now grant automatic admissions to those at the top of their class.

Public high school students ranked in the top 10% of their graduating class will be guaranteed a spot at the school, USC announced Tuesday.

“There are still pockets of the state where students are not applying, even though they are very strong students,” said Scott Verzyl, vice president of enrollment and dean of admissions. “We think that they’re probably not applying, in most cases, because they don’t realize they’re competitive for admission.”

About half of South Carolina residents ranked in the top 10% of their high school class already apply to USC, Verzyl said, but the university is hoping to catch those who still might not be applying — students from more rural schools that are further away from Columbia, or schools with more racial diversity. Verzyl said they might not be as knowledgeable or comfortable with coming to a large university in a bigger city.

“We want them to know they are competitive, and we welcome them,” Verzyl said.

The new route to admission is meant to provide “access and excellence in education” for South Carolina residents, President Michael Amiridis said in a news release.

“Across every corner of our state, talented students who aspire to a college degree can count on finding a home and a future at the University of South Carolina,” Amiridis said in a news release.

LaToya Williams and Dana Lackey, guidance counselors at Swansea High School, located in a rural northwest corner of Lexington County, think guaranteed admission to USC will not only encourage more students to apply, but will also motivate them to be better students.

“It’s an awesome recruiting tool,” Williams said. “We want our best and brightest to stay in our state.”

Verzyl said the university is confident in the ability of these students and their chance of success. Studies show that high school grades and class rank are reliable predictors of the success a student might have while at college. According to the American Educational Research Association, they are even more indicative than factors like standardized test scores.

While there are no additional scholarship opportunities at this time, university spokesman Jeff Stensland said student will be eligible for the school’s current in-state awards for which they qualify.

The decision comes at a height of popularity for the university.

USC officials say that demand for the university has “never been higher.” In the most recent admissions cycle for the upcoming fall semester, USC received more than 42,000 applications — a record-breaking number for the four-year school, with more South Carolinians applying than ever before. It’s quadruple the 10,000 applications received 20 years ago.

But the guaranteed admission for some S.C. students won’t necessarily make the university more competitive. Verzyl said he doesn’t expect to turn away any more students than usual, because the university is still looking to expand. Overall enrollment has swelled by nearly 30% over the last two decades, and it isn’t likely to slow down anytime soon. Verzyl said he expects USC to grow by between 1.5% and 3% each year.

Verzyl is unsure as to how many more students might apply and enroll at USC following this announcement. But the university’s goal is to have a student body at USC that reflects the state of South Carolina as much as possible.

“USC has an obligation to be accessible to South Carolinians,” Thad Westbrook, chair of USC’s Board of Trustees, said in a news release. “The USC System is committed to educating South Carolinians, which is what our state’s citizens and elected leaders should expect from us when they invest in higher education.”

Applications to attend USC in fall 2024 opened Tuesday.

The other four-year colleges in the USC System — USC Aiken, USC Beaufort and USC Upstate — will guarantee admission to South Carolina students in the top 20% of their graduating class.

According to the governor’s office, this initiative is an important step in serving South Carolina’s students. When McMaster approved the state budget in June, he called on the state’s public colleges and universities to reduce operating costs so as to reduce the tuition and fees incurred by students and their parents.

“Ensuring affordable, accessible higher education for our sons and daughters is vital to the future of our state,” Gov. Henry McMaster said in a Tweet. “This initiative is a great start to accomplishing that goal, and I look forward to working with our colleges and universities on their upcoming state budget requests.”