Students at Clemson University on Aug. 21, 2024, the first day of class. (Provided by Clemson University)
COLUMBIA – South Carolina college enrollment remains relatively stable, according to preliminary data from the state’s higher education agency.
About 158,000 students enrolled in four-year universities in the state this fall, a similar number to 2023.
Those numbers reflect years of growth at the state’s two largest research universities – the University of South Carolina and Clemson University – the newly appointed Commission on Higher Education President Jeff Perez told his agency’s governing board Thursday.
Overall enrollment remained steady at other public four years but dropped off at private colleges.
“Thelma and Louise are nowhere near the cliff,” Perez said, combining references to the 1990s film about a road trip gone wrong and the so-called “enrollment cliff” predicted by national experts as birth rates continue to drop and younger generations find college a less attractive option.