The University of South Carolina Board of Trustees approved a new annual budget Friday (June 23) that makes historic investments in areas central to the university’s mission while keeping in-state tuition flat for a fifth year in a row. The 2023-24 systemwide budget, which takes effect July 1, provides resources for innovative health sciences initiatives and workforce development programs to benefit graduates and bolster the state’s growing economy.
“We are grateful to members of the General Assembly for helping us keep attendance affordable for South Carolina families and for investing in the types of projects that will make the state healthier and more prosperous,” says USC President Michael Amiridis.
Budget highlights include:
- Freeze tuition for in-state students on all system campuses. On the Columbia campus, per-semester undergraduate tuition will remain $6,344 for resident students. Tuition for nonresident students in Columbia will increase by a modest 3 percent ($17,467). State tuition mitigation funds provided to USC make the tuition freeze possible by offsetting inflationary costs.
- $4.5 million for the expansion of USC’s student internship program, which matches students with employers in the technology sector and other high demand areas.
- $30 million in one-time funds to establish a Brain Health Center in the upcoming Health Sciences Campus. An additional $5 million in recurring funds will support the Rural Brain Health Network, a group of satellite clinics throughout the state to treat patients with complex brain issues.
- $29 million for renovation and construction of classrooms and innovative learning spaces in Science and Technology area on the Columbia campus.
- $4.45 million for South Carolina teacher recruitment and retention programs.
“This is a fiscally responsible budget that prioritizes the needs of our students to gain meaningful skills while also reflecting USC’s mission of service to the entire state,” says board Chairman Thad Westbrook.