Freshman class size not expected to increase this year
USC expects about the same number of freshman to enroll in the fall that did last year, according to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
Last fall, USC President Harris Pastides assured students they would not see a "bump" in the size of the freshman class. If predictions are correct, that promise will hold true.
The projected freshman class size will have between 4,500 and 4,600 students, according to Scott Verzyl, the admissions office's executive director. Last year, 4,636 freshmen enrolled for the first time, according to the university's institutional assessment and compliance data.
But while the class's size will largely hold steady, USC offered more applicants the chance to come to the university.
"We made a few more offers of admission this year, but that does not necessarily mean we will have a larger freshman class," Verzyl said in an email response.
That's because the yield, or the percentage of accepted students who eventually enroll, has been dropping — both at USC and around the country, Verzyl said.
In Fall 2011, 34.5 percent of the 13,451 applicants accepted came to USC, a slight decrease from 2010, when 34.6 percent of accepted students enrolled.
"Yields have been dropping for several years at schools all over the country," Verzyl said. "Students are applying to more and more colleges, exploring more options and looking for the best college value."
It's not unusual for students to apply to 10 schools, Verzyl wrote, adding that the advent of online applications has made it easier for students to apply and send applications to more schools.
But while yield rates may be decreasing slightly, fewer students are being admitted in the first place.
USC's admissions rate fell 6.8 percentage points in 2011 to 63.1 percent from 69.9 percent in 2010.
That's in line with rates at USC's peer universities in the Southeastern Conference.
The University of Georgia accepted 62.1 percent of applicants in 2011, and the University of Tennessee offered 69.7 percent spots.
University of Florida and Vanderbilt University deviated, accepting only 39.0 and 15.5 percent of applicants, respectively.
"While in general a lower acceptance rate can be a sign of selectivity of the institution and desirability by prospective students, that is not necessarily the case," Verzyl said.
But as applications increase and USC's acceptance rate drops gradually, Verzyl said his office is more concerned with bringing in stronger classes.
"We are more concerned about the size, quality and diversity of the freshman class, and the successful retention, progression and graduation of the students we admit," Verzyl wrote. "We're committed to admitting all qualified residents of South Carolina and as many non-residents as we can accommodate."