The Carolinian

USC Upstate saw an increased enrollment rate for the fall semester, welcoming approximately 902 freshman students. This represents a 47% increase in enrollment from 2020.

Upstate welcomed 1,800 freshmen and transfer students to its campus this semester, creating a total student body of 5,169 students. In comparison, 2024 had 770 freshmen, and in 2020 there were 610 freshmen.

Several factors led to this shift, one of which included three new majors. Data Science, Sports Management, and industrial engineering were the new majors available for students to register for in the fall semester. Out of those, Industrial Engineering and Sports management were the most popular.

The closure of Limestone University at the end of the spring 2025 semester caused many students to transfer to Upstate, who were a part of the 900 new transfer students for the fall semester.

Additionally, Upstate recently announced their men’s and women’s developmental soccer team, welcoming 47 new student athletes.

Other factors contributing to the increase in enrolled students are more financial aid opportunities, such as Promise Scholarship, Meeting Street Scholarship, and Conway Scholars) and the growing of Upstate region’s population.

Despite the high numbers, there is still concern for the enrollment cliff faced by universities nationwide. NPR found that there was a “15% decline in enrollment between 2010 and 2021” for universities.

Donette Stewart, Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Services and Director of Admissions, said, “We’re very aware of (the enrollment cliff), we’re planning for it, we’re trying to work around it, we hope that some of the things that are happening at Upstate South Carolina will help keep our students here at home.”

Upstate is already working to keep current students enrolled, and to attract new ones. The addition of the three new career-oriented majors has already helped to get students interested.

Recruiters also plan to visit every high school in South Carolina to garner interest among prospective students.

Starting in the summer, Upstate plans on altering their online degree programs, allowing students to take eight-week courses. This creates flexibility for students, allowing them to fit more classes into their semester.