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Buoyed by strong enrollment growth, improved retention of existing students, and continued state investment, the University of South Carolina is once again expected to have a positive margin in its operational budget.

Officials said that has allowed USC to keep attendance affordable — with no tuition increases for in-state students for more than five years — while investing in teaching, research and new campus modernization initiatives.

“The careful management of our financial resources is allowing us to improve the experience of our students and elevate the quality of our teaching and research,” said USC President Michael Amiridis. “At a time when other institutions face budget challenges, we have the opportunity to hire 100 new tenure track faculty members, to execute our ambitious SC Next capital plan and to improve our IT infrastructure.”

“The university has consistently adopted a thoughtful budgeting approach that emphasizes strategic investment in core priorities,” said Board of Trustees Chairman Thad Westbrook. “We applaud President Amiridis and his financial team for their work. We’re also grateful for the support of our state partners and generous donors. Most importantly, we thank the tens of thousands of families who every year entrust us to be good stewards of their tuition dollars.”

To keep pace with inflationary costs in housing operations and food, the board on Monday approved a $233 increase in housing (average) and a $96 increase in meal plans for the fall 2025 semester.

Housing and food services are auxiliary services that don’t receive state funding for operations.