With the number and academic caliber of freshmen applicants on the rise, getting into Carolina has become a competitive sport. Even national news media are taking notice.

When some of us enrolled at Carolina in 1979, we used to joke that the University required two things to get in: a pulse and a check to pay the semester tuition.

Maybe that’s a little harsh, but Carolina was like most big public universities back then with an admissions policy that neither flung the front doors wide open nor shut them too tight.

Fast forward to November 2006: The Wall Street Journal publishes “Beyond Berkeley,” an article that documents the increasing selectivity of some public universities. Among the eight schools identified as “up and comers” is the University of South Carolina.

“Attending the local public university is no longer a birthright,” the article stated. “An explosion of applications has allowed schools to reject students in record numbers” and choose the best students for admission.

After raising its minimum admission standards several times in the 1990s, Carolina began attracting a bigger share of top students. “Good students want to go where other good students go” became the mantra on campus. The bigger applicant pool attracted by Carolina’s growing reputation led to better quality in each year’s student body.

In 2004, for example, Carolina claimed its best-ever academically prepared freshman class, a claim it was able to repeat in 2005 and 2006. In fact, average combined SAT scores of freshmen in 2006 were 70 points higher than for the freshman class of 2001. The SAT average is now 1171 and is on track to climb again with this fall’s freshman class.

The academic caliber of Carolina’s Honors College students and of its new Capstone Scholars students is higher still. The average SAT score for the 325 Honors College freshmen in 2006 was 1398. The average was 1304 for the 550 Capstone Scholar freshmen, a new program that recruits top students to participate in special academic programming during their first two years at Carolina. Together, Honors College and Capstone Scholar freshmen comprise one-fourth of the total freshman class.

What does all of this mean? One way to look at it is that if you’re a graduate from way back when, your diploma has appreciated in value; your alma mater is more selective than when you attended. It also means that getting into Carolina isn’t the hop, skip, and jump that it once was. The Wall Street Journal was correct: Attending Carolina is no longer a birthright.

“Not everyone is happy about that, and some people try to argue both sides. They’re proud of what the University has accomplished in improving its academic stature and the quality of its students—but they still want everyone to get in,” said Scott Verzyl, admissions director at Carolina. “Unfortunately, we can’t have it both ways.”

The University has increased the size of the freshman class to accommodate more students—the past three years have seen some of the biggest first-year classes in University history. But most agree that the University can’t increase the class size much more without compromising the quality of the freshman class and overall classroom experience. And it seems that more students want to get in every year, and the best of them have grades and SAT scores that keep getting better.

Kip Howard, Carolina’s assistant vice provost for enrollment management, recalls a conversation he once had with a father who couldn’t understand why his son wouldn’t be able to follow in his dad’s footsteps for college. “I explained to him that the institution had standards of admission that his son hadn’t met, and after a while he acknowledged that his son’s grades probably didn’t merit admission—he understood the university had changed since his own college days.”

Like universities everywhere, the University of South Carolina has changed, and getting in isn’t so easy anymore. But just how does Carolina decide who can get in these days? Here’s a look at the 2006 freshman class and a closer examination of the admissions process at Carolina.

14,000 applications, 3,600 seats

If you were among the 13,946 who submitted an admissions application to Carolina for the fall 2006 semester, you were in good company.

The class that was admitted and enrolled was the best ever in the University’s history and one of the largest, too. So how does Carolina’s admissions office winnow through so many applications and decide who to accept?

A processing staff of 15 checks to make sure each application is complete and includes all required information. The deadline is typically December 1, and temporary staff are brought in to help sort through the surge.

“Everyone wants to know that the process is equitable—that each application is treated the fairly,” said Scott Verzyl, Carolina’s admissions director. “Generally, our freshman admission standards are straightforward: they’re based on high school courses and SAT or ACT scores.”

An applicant who presents higher grades in high school can offset lower entrance examination scores. For example, a high school senior with a B average and 1150 on the SAT or 25 on the ACT stands a good chance of being admitted. In addition, students with at least a C-plus average and who score 1250 on the SAT or 27 on the ACT will more than likely get in. Students also must complete a college preparatory curriculum of 19 academic units in high school.

To put that in context with the 2006 freshman class, 75 percent of those students scored better than 1050 on the SAT. Students who score less than 1050, no matter how good their high school grades, are much less likely to be admitted. The average academic core high school GPA was 3.73 for the current freshman class.

Admissions office administrators don’t want the process to be too cut and dried, however. “We realize that there can be extenuating circumstances—a death in the family or long illness, for example—that affected the student’s performance and not indicative of ability deserves further consideration,” Verzyl said.

For that reason, about one-fourth of all applications—those in the bottom quartile that are minimally qualified—undergo an expanded review. In this process, admissions staff comb through the applications to look for factors that might explain the lower grades and also for other qualities—leadership or community service—that might weigh in the decision of whether to admit.

“The expanded admissions review is not a short cut for students who present poor SAT or ACT scores and poor grades and lots of extracurricular activities,” said Kip Howard, assistant vice provost for enrollment management. “It’s a way for us to weigh all the factors that might explain lower grades or test scores.”

Because of the rising volume of applications in recent years, the admissions office has had to delay some admittance decisions until March.

“We have to determine if there is room for them, and some are on a bubble—they might make it in and they might not,” Verzyl said. Of all the students who are admitted, less than half typically will enroll, and admissions staff has to figure out which ones are serious about coming to Carolina.

Many factors can affect those decisions-: the economy, the institution’s academic reputation and programs, scholarship packages offered by other S.C. colleges, and scholarship funds available at Carolina. Students who are serious about attending Carolina typically place non-refundable housing and enrollment deposits, which makes it easier to predict the final enrollment number.

There is good news for those the University doesn’t have room for in the fall. ‘No’ usually doesn’t mean ‘never.’ Wait-listed students are offered admission in the spring semester; December graduation opens up more room. In fact, 1,500 incoming frehsmen have been offered admission for spring 2008. Others opt to attend another USC campus or a technical college in the fall and transfer to Carolina in the spring or in the following year.

What does the future hold for the competitive level of applications to Carolina? The projected total of public and private high school graduates in South Carolina is expected to remain fairly steady through the next several years, hovering around 34,000 to 36,000. In about 10 years, the number is expected to increase by 4,000 to 6,000 students. Many of those new graduates will be Hispanic (the number of white and black high school graduates is projected to remain steady).

“We’re beginning to think about how we can recruit that group of students to the University,” Verzyl said. “Many of them likely will be the first in their families to attend college, and we’re looking forward to inviting them to consider Carolina.”

MYTHS OF ADMISSIONS

The real story about who gets in at Carolina

 Myth No. 1

The University of South Carolina is admitting out-of-state students at the expense of South Carolina-born high school graduates.

Carolina has always admitted students from out of state, going back to its antebellum days as South Carolina College. Much like international students, non-resident students add to the vitality and culture of the institution. In 2006, 38 percent of the freshman class of 3,642 students came from out of state, but their presence was not at the expense of in-state students. Less than 20 percent of all in-state freshmen who applied were denied admission. Put another way, every single South Carolina resident who applied and met USC’s academic admission requirements in 2006 was accepted. Because so many in-state students transfer to Carolina every year, the percentage of the University’s overall student body remains overwhelmingly South Carolinian—80 percent are from in state. To accommodate as many freshman applicants as possible, the University has gradually increased the freshman class size from about 2,500 in 2000 to about 3,600 currently.

 Myth No. 2

If you’re a great athlete or if you know someone important, the University will waive its admissions requirements and let you in the back door.

Like most other universities, Carolina does allow for a small number of admission exceptions per year. Less than 2 percent of the f reshman class is made up of students with special talents who did not meet regular admissions requirements. Most of these students are recruited athletes, but some are gifted in music or the performing arts. The University recognizes that these students have the potential to contribute to the overall college experience for all Carolinians. No one is admitted without some evidence of their potential for academic success, and a faculty committee carefully screens each applicant.

 Myth No. 3

All the University cares about are standardized test scores and the U.S. News & World Report rankings.

For several years, the University has made a lot of effort to enhance its academic stature, and that hasn’t gone unnoticed. “We’re not playing to the rankings, but what we’re doing as a university is noteworthy—our Honors College and No. 1-ranked international business program, for example—so why should we not be recognized for our success?” Verzyl said. As for standardized test scores, Carolina has no minimum score for admission. Rather, admissions officers evaluate high school grades and SAT or ACT scores together. A low SAT score can be offset by a high grade point average and vice versa. That said, 75 percent of 2006 freshmen scored higher than 1050 on the SAT and the average score was 1171. The University has implemented an expanded application review, which closely examines applications with the bottom quartile of test scores and GPAs to determine if there are extenuating circumstances or other factors that should be considered in the admissions decision. The expanded application review also looks for evidence of community service, leadership potential, and potential for contributions to the research and globalization missions of the institution.

 Myth No. 4

Once you’ve been denied admission to Carolina, the chances of gaining admission later are slim.

“For the majority of students denied admission ‘No’ really means ‘not now,’” said Scott Verzyl, admissions director. “We have many wait-listed students who elect to enroll in the spring semester after winter commencement, which opens up more room. We also have many students who attend a technical or community college or one of USC’s regional or four-year campuses and then transfer to the Columbia campus. Maybe they don’t start here for their first semester, but they finish with a USC degree.”

 Myth No. 5

Getting into the University of South Carolina’s prestigious Honors College or Capstone Scholars Program ultimately comes down to who you know.

Letters of recommendation from influential or high-profile people have very little bearing on the review and acceptance process for the Honors College and Capstone Scholars. “What carries far more weight are the proven paths of academic success,” said Dennis Pruitt, vice president for student affairs. “Those include evidence of a rigorous high school curriculum, past academic success as demonstrated by grades on core courses, and good test scores. So it’s not who you know but what you know that paves the way for admission into the Honors College or being named a Capstone Scholar.” The same is true for the University’s scholarships, which are offered on a competitive basis. Some of these—such as the Carolina Scholars and McNair Scholars programs—require exceptional academic and community service achievements and formal interviews. Other scholarships are based solely on academic credentials and availability of funds. Scholarships also are available for certain programs of study and for students with exceptional abilities in athletics and the arts.

 Myth No. 6

Universities focus on getting “smart” students with scholarships; there’s nothing for students who really need financial help.

Like nearly all public universities, Carolina relies on the availability of federal and state aid to assist financially needy students, but every year the University also provides 200 $1,000 grants ($200,000 total) to its neediest students to help defray educational expenses. The University also is designing a Gamecock Guarantee Program that will provide a tuition and fees-free education for the most financially needy students. The program will require sponsorship through private funds.

 Myth No. 7

Carolina pours all of its efforts into recruiting students, but it’s sink-or-swim once they show up for classes.

Carolina has a national reputation as a student-centered institution of higher education. Its new Student Success Center, free tutorial services, University 101, and opportunities for study abroad and research are evidence of the University’s commitment to academic success and satisfaction.