To be clear, the new USC athletics fee makes college more expensive | Opinion
You know who doesn’t distinguish between college tuition and college fees?
The people paying them.
I know. I’m one. My daughter is a rising sophomore at an out-of-state university, and when we get a bill, I don’t send it one check for tuition and another for fees. I send a single payment.
So to me, the news from the University of South Carolina’s board of trustees meeting last Friday was not that in-state tuition won’t increase next year, despite that spin by USC. The news was that food fees (obligatory for freshmen) and average housing fees (for students in residence halls) will rise some $650 and that all USC students will pay a new $300 athletics auxiliary fee next year.
Yes, all students, even those who don’t attend a game. Which is actually quite a few.
Sure, Gamecocks sporting events are fun. I love them, especially in person. I was in the house that Dawn Staley built both times the women’s basketball team scored 100 points last season, and it was rocking. There’s no question sporting events are a big draw for many students. But do the math: There are nearly 40,000 students on campus in Columbia, and they don’t all fit.
From 13,000 to 17,000 students can procure tickets through a points system for home football games at the 80,000-seat Williams-Brice Stadium. And thousands of students file into the 18,000-seat Colonial Life Arena for basketball games, especially those of a women’s team that has won three national championships since 2017. But Founders Park only holds 8,200 Gamecocks baseball fans, and the Carolina Softball Stadium holds just 1,300 visitors.
Crowd sizes depend on team play, but even capacity crowds are a fraction of the student body. A bad USC baseball team went 6-24 in conference play this year, although it was 23-12 in home games; the softball team played so well it hosted and nearly won a Super Regional postseason series. As always, with all that’s going on in and around Columbia, students have options.
Yet, as The State reports, the new $300 annual athletics fee will now have to be paid by every student — on top of an $86 per-semester athletics fee ($172 a year) that USC students already pay for the opportunity to attend every Gamecocks sporting event. (That fee was optional for part-time students).
Clemson University approved a similar $300 annual student fee for athletics in November.
At USC, that’s nearly $500 a year for sports. (And it’s a safe bet to rise incrementally over time.)
Maybe it will entice more students to go to games, which is always a recipe for excitement and enthusiasm if not success. But there will still be students who don’t attend a single game.
The decision to charge all students so much for games some won’t see in person is a choice. It comes as the business of college sports is going through seismic changes because college athletes are now getting paid but the methods of paying them are still being worked out.
In announcing the new fee, USC officials said it was designed to continue student access to athletics events and the football ticket lottery, offset increased operating costs and “enhance the student experience across multiple USC sporting venues.” They said those enhancements would include student-centered, in-game activity and promotions, facility upgrades and additional support for health and safety staffing at athletics events. They also said the fee would not be used for football stadium renovations, student-athlete payments or coaching contracts.
“Access to world-class athletic events is one of the many reasons students are attracted to USC,” Athletics Director Jeremiah Donati said in a statement. “In order to stay competitive in an evolving collegiate landscape, we have to create environments where students can have a great fan experience while cheering on the Gamecocks.”
They can have a great fan experience cheering on the Gamecocks. Many will. But some won’t.
As I see it, the difference between tuition costs and student fees for all is, well, academic — and the key takeaway isn’t that tuition costs didn’t go up. It’s that college just got more expensive.
We shouldn’t sugarcoat that in South Carolina. We should ensure we all get what we pay for.
Go Gamecocks. Just go more often to get your money’s worth.
This story was originally published June 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM.