University of South Carolina trustees approved a 2026-27 fiscal year budget Friday (June 19) that freezes in-state tuition systemwide and advanced key projects tied to the Columbia campus’s USC Next master plan, including an expansion of the Russell House student union and construction of a Civil Rights Center.
With expected tuition mitigation funds from the state along with strong student enrollment and retention, tuition for South Carolina residents will remain the same for the eighth year in a row (the ninth year for our comprehensive institutions). Nonresident student tuition will increase by 3 percent.
On the Columbia campus, undergraduate tuition will remain $6,344 per semester for resident students while tuition for nonresident students in Columbia will total $19,250 per semester. Since tuition was frozen in 2019, South Carolina residents attending USC Columbia will pay nearly $3,400 less annually than they would if tuition had increased with inflation.
To keep pace with inflationary costs in housing operations and food, the upcoming budget includes a previously approved $133 average increase in housing and a $108 average increase in meal plans for the fall 2026 semester. This represents the smallest increase for these fees in six years. A $150 per-semester student union expansion fee will start this fall. Housing, food services and student unions are auxiliary services that do not receive state funding for operations.
“USC is committed to being the University for South Carolina, prioritizing access and affordability, and we are enrolling and graduating more South Carolinians than ever before in our history,” President Michael Amiridis said. “We are achieving this through our strong partnership with the General Assembly that recognizes the valuable role higher education plays in advancing our state.”
The board also approved several major projects, new programs, and key agreements and appointments Friday.
“Through these actions today, we are ensuring that USC continues to thrive and remains a top destination for South Carolinians and students across the nation,” Board of Trustees Chair Thad Westbrook said. “Our board and the administration remain focused on providing a world-class education and advancing pioneering research while also making necessary investments to ensure our campuses meet the needs of students well into the future.”
Items approved Friday include:
Russell House — Overhauling and expanding the 71-year-old student union to fully modernize the building functionally and architecturally. The Russell House will expand with a new space built on the site of the Thomson Building. USC will create a larger ballroom, add space for growing student organization needs and improve existing spaces to align with student programs. The Russell House is currently one of the smallest student unions in the Southeastern Conference, and its expansion has been supported by USC’s Student Government for years.
“The expansion of the Russell House marks a new era of the student experience at the University of South Carolina,” USC Student Body President Cole Rotondo said. “This project will provide an improved space where students can learn, lead, connect and create the memories that define the Gamecock experience. I am grateful to my predecessors who have tirelessly advocated for this project and to the Board of Trustees and university administration for listening to student voices and turning student priorities into meaningful action.”
Civil Rights Center — Constructing a Civil Rights Center just east of the historic Booker T. Washington building between Blossom and Wheat streets. The new building will serve as a hub for scholarship, instruction, exhibitions, archives and community engagement for the university’s Center for Civil Rights History and Research. Additional details about the building, which is supported through federal grants and state appropriations, will be approved following initial design and development review.
Founders Park land acquisition — Buying 12.6 acres adjacent to Founders Park, home of the Gamecocks baseball team, for game day parking, commuter student parking and possible future development.
Engineering district planning study — Examining areas in south campus near the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing for future buildings and green space, including new research facilities.
Sumter Street student residential development name — Naming the upcoming 900-bed student residential building on the former McBryde site “The Commons at Carolina.”
Industrial design — Offering a new interdisciplinary undergraduate program through the School of Visual Art and Design in collaboration Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing that will include internships and other hands-on opportunities to help fulfill workforce needs in automotive, aerospace, medical devices and advanced manufacturing design.
ChatGPT — Extending the agreement with OpenAI to offer secure AI tools campuswide for another year. Last year, USC became the first in the state to offer students, faculty and staff free and secure enterprise access to ChatGPT, the world’s leading AI tool for automation and content generation.
New board secretary — Electing Joe Sobieralski, senior associate vice president for administration and business affairs, to serve as the new secretary to the Board of Trustees. The secretary serves as the chief administrative officer of the board. He will remain university treasurer.