You'll provide your high school courses/grades for your senior year only, choose your  major, complete the essay, and list your extracurricular activities, honors and awards. You will also decide whether you want us to consider your ACT / SAT scores in the review process.

All information submitted with your application will be used to determine admission and merit-based scholarship award decisions. For more information on the freshman application visit our freshman application page.

We recommend submitting your general USC Application or Common App by the Oct. 15 Early Action deadline if applying to the Honors College. This will allow you more time to complete the application and essays.

Regardless of which application you select, you must pay the non-refundable $65 application fee or use an ACT, College Board, NACAC, SCOIR or Common App application fee waiver, if eligible.

If you have an application fee waiver, upload it on the payment page before submitting the application.

Upload a legible unofficial copy of your high school transcript in JPG or PDF format. After you submit the application, we’ll review your uploaded transcript and let you know if we need an official one. The unofficial transcript must list grades through the end of your junior year and include your full name and high school name. Do not send an official high school transcript to the admissions office unless it is requested.

If you already graduated from high school, request to have your official transcript sent to USC’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Don't forget to list your senior year courses and credits on the application. You must list the exact amount of credit (full, half, trimester) for each course. You will also need to list all dual enrollment courses you are taking.

USC is test-optional for the spring, summer and fall 2025 terms. This means you are not required to submit SAT and / or ACT scores for admission to the University, South Carolina Honors College admission, or merit scholarship consideration. You will select “Yes” or “No” on the general application to indicate whether you want us to review your test scores as part of the admission process.

If you choose to report your scores on the general application, enter the highest scores for the ACT composite and / or the SAT total. If you took either test more than once, we will superscore using all tests taken. 

USC’s deadline for receipt of test scores is based on the credential deadline associated with your application type. If test scores are received by the credentials deadline, your application will be considered on a space-available basis. We require official scores only if you enroll in USC. Our SAT code is 5818 and our ACT code is 3880.

Review frequently asked questions about USC's test-optional policy. 

Students should answer a “yes / no” question on the general application to indicate their interest in applying to the South Carolina Honors College. The separate Honors College application will be added to the USC Admissions Portal approximately 48 hours after submitting the freshman application. Students will receive an email from our office once the application is available.

Students who originally answered “no” on the freshman application and change their minds may email admhonor@mailbox.sc.edu to request access to the Honors College application.

Personal Interest Statement: What motivated you to apply to the South Carolina Honors College? Discuss how you would take advantage of the specific opportunities and resources the Honors College offers. How do you envision contributing to and benefiting from the collaborative and engaging community of the Honors College? (150 – 300 words)

Doing Essay: Reflect on your role and responsibilities in an activity — this might be community service, clubs / organizations or any other initiative that has shaped your character and influenced your personal growth. Provide one specific example that showcases your passion and dedication, demonstrating how this outside-the-classroom experience has prepared you to make meaningful contributions to the South Carolina Honors College community. (500 – 1,000 words)

Thinking Essay: The South Carolina Honors College seeks students with a deep intellectual curiosity and a passion for knowledge. Reflect on a topic that has sparked your intellectual curiosity. Explain how this topic has driven you to engage in critical thinking that will contribute to the scholarly community of the Honors College. (500 – 1,000 words)

A letter of recommendation is required by the Dec. 1 credentials deadline. There are two ways to submit the letter:

• Your high school counselor can submit the letter on your behalf via a service such as Common App, Scoir or Naviance. This is our preferred method.
• Your recommender may email the letter to admhonor@mailbox.sc.edu.

Helpful Hints:

• Ask someone who knows you best to write on your behalf. Recommenders can include teachers, school counselors, coaches, community leaders and even employers.
• Only one letter of recommendation will be considered during the review process.
• Please ask your recommender to only submit your letter once.
  
• If you prefer to use a letter of recommendation you submitted through the Common Application, that letter will fulfill this requirement. 
• If you included a letter of recommendation with your Common Application, it will be used to satisfy this requirement.