USC extends tuition freeze for in-state students. But fees continue to rise
The University of South Carolina will hold tuition for in-state students flat for an eighth consecutive year.
South Carolina residents who attend the state’s flagship school will pay $12,288 per year — the same amount they’ve been charged since 2019 — or nearly $3,400 less than what they would pay if the university had raised tuition by the annual general inflation rate over the past seven years, university officials said.
“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 in a statement. “We are achieving this through our strong partnership with the General Assembly that recognizes the valuable role higher education plays in advancing our state.”
Out-of-state students, who already pay three times more for tuition than Palmetto State residents, will see a 3% rate hike, according to the annual budget approved Friday by the USC Board of Trustees.
Non-residents, whose tuition has increased 13.6% since 2019, will be charged $38,500 for the 2026-27 school year.
The extended tuition freeze for in-state students has been made possible by additional money supplied by the S.C. General Assembly.
Since 2019, state lawmakers have sent the state’s public colleges and universities tens of millions of dollars in exchange for a promise to hold tuition flat for South Carolina residents.
The legislature has yet to set the exact amount that will be allocated for tuition mitigation this year, but both House and Senate budget plans call for $26.3 million to be distributed among 16 public colleges and universities, including $7.2 million for USC’s Columbia campus.
For the first time this year, lawmakers are contemplating whether to attach strings to the tuition supplement.
The House’s budget proposal would require colleges that accept tuition assistance to suspend new admissions for academic programs that consistently lose money, while the Senate’s plan, which is not as hardline, would merely make schools review the efficacy of new and existing academic programs.
Non-tuition costs on the rise
Even as in-state tuition remains frozen, non-tuition costs continue to rise for all USC students.
The board of trustees earlier this year approved a 2.8% increase ($266 annually) to the average cost of a housing suite and a 4.1% increase ($216 annually) to the standard meal plan.
As a result, students will pay $9,812 on average for a suite this coming school year and $5,472 annually for the All Access meal plan, which gives them unlimited access to six campus dining halls and $250 to use at any on-campus dining location.
University officials said the housing and dining increases, which are the smallest such increases in six years, are necessary to keep pace with inflation.
Since the 2021-22 school year, the average suite cost at USC has increased 27.2% and the typical meal plan has spiked 37.5%, according to USC budget documents.
An analysis conducted earlier this year by The State Media Co found that non-tuition costs at the University of South Carolina had historically outpaced inflation.
In addition to paying more for housing and food next year, USC students will also be assessed a new $150 per semester fee to fund the expansion and renovation of Russell House, the university’s student union.
The 72-year-old building, located in USC’s historic core, is ticketed for a significant repurposing and renovation in the coming years.
Unlike academic buildings, which are financed with state support, Russell House is considered a student service building and therefore financed with student fees like a residential facility, USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said.
“A facility like this that is intended just for student use as part of an auxiliary is funded through student fees,” he explained.
The university’s board will need to re-up the student union expansion fee each year as part of its annual budget process, as it does with all student fees.
It’s not clear whether USC will continue to assess the fee after the Russell House expansion is complete.
“That would be for future boards to decide,” Stensland said.
The imposition of the new fee comes on the heels of a $300 annual athletics fee the university began assessing students last year. Proceeds from the athletics fee are used for event operating costs and to enhance the student experience at USC sporting venues.
This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 2:36 PM.