President Harris Pastides recently went before the legislature to beg our brilliant state government to hex its possible proposal to cap USC’s out-of-state admittances.
I sincerely applaud President Pastides. Capping out-of-state students is an all-around terrible idea.
First of all, it would force USC and other schools to lower standards for entry. If USC had a quota to fill, it would accept less qualified candidates in order to reach that cap amount mark in lieu of accepting more qualified candidates from outside of the state. Ideally, a university should never lower its standards. We should constantly strive to become more prestigious, which gives the University more recognition across the nation and makes it more appealing to even more qualified candidates.
This benefits the state as well, making it more attractive to businesses and families wishing to move here.
Second, it is financially counterintuitive. Out-of-state students pay nearly three times as much in tuition as in-state students. Out-of-state students pay about $112 million a year in tuition, more than the amount given by the state.
Third, the cap doesn’t encourage the students of South Carolina to work harder to get into college.
USC already says it automatically accepts residents with a 3.0 GPA, 1,000 SAT score and required core courses. If South Carolina universities lower acceptance standards, then high school students across the state will not feel challenged to excel in school in order to get into college.
I understand the legislature wants to help more local students get into college, but there is already an extensive technical and satellite school system to help students earn technical degrees or get into USC in two years via bridge programs. If a high school student does not have the money or qualifications for USC, he or she still has plenty of options to attain higher education and eventually end up with a Carolina degree.
Finally, while accepting a large amount of out-of-state students benefits the University, it also benefits the students. I am a South Carolina resident, but over half of my college friends are from out of state. I now have connections up and down the East Coast and into the Midwest. I’m sure most USC students have similar networks because of the friends they have made during their four years here. This network will benefit me greatly in my career and social life as I get older and move to other places. Accepting fewer out-of-state students would greatly hurt many college students’ ability to network and expand their horizons.