University of South Carolina

Columbia, South Carolina
United States of America

Language of instruction

English

   Generally available as a second or third preference.

The University of South Carolina is located on a tree-lined campus in the heart of downtown Columbia. The campus dates back to 1805 and is one of the oldest public institutions in the US.

In 2012, after a 2000 piece acquisition, USC became the holder of the largest published Hemingway collection in the world.

South Carolina is known for its warm southern hospitality and Columbia has been named the third best college town in America.

Semester dates

UQ SemesterHost SemesterDates
Semester 1Spring SemesterJanuary–May
Semester 2Fall SemesterAugust–December

View UofSC's academic calendar.

Guides and additional information

Exchange deadlines

Application for Exchange in UQ Semester 1:
Open: 24 April (for Semester 1 of the following year)
Close: 31 May (for Semester 1 of the following year)

Application for Exchange in UQ Semester 2:
Open: 24 September (for Semester 2 of the following year)
Close: 31 October (for Semester 2 of the following year)
Extended Deadline: 28 Nov 2024 (for exchange in Sem 2, 2025)

Student testimonials

  • B Engineering (Honours) / B Commerce
    Semester 2, 2022
    The college football games where definitely one of the biggest highlights of my experience. It’s an absolutely amazing atmosphere. You can only truly understand and experience it by being physically there.
  • B Communications/Arts
    Semester 1, 2019
    The University of South Carolina gave me the best few months of my entire life, and blessed me with friends all over the globe.

Full-time study load

15 credits at UofSC is equivalent to 8 UQ units.

Host university requirements

GPA
You will need a minimum cumulative GPA of 4.5 to study at UofSC.

Study Options
Not applicable to this university. However, you will usually be expected to take the majority of courses (50%) within a single faculty.

Find courses

Search UofSC's course catalogue.

Crosscheck the courses you found in the host course catalogue with the Credit Precedent Database to see if UQ credit has previously been granted. The database should be used as a general guide only. Few courses from each host will be in the database and many course precedents in the database may have expired. Note, the credit precedent database does not replace the host course catalogue. If a course is not listed in the CPD, you can still ask for it to be assessed on your study plan.

Study areas taught in English

Undergraduate
Advertising
Aerospace engineering
Anthropology
Art history
Biological sciences
Biomedical engineering
Business administration
Business analytics
Chemical engineering
Chemistry and biochemistry
Chinese
Civil engineering
Classical languages
Communication, digital media and PR
Computer engineering
Computer science
Criminology
Data Science
Earth and Geographical Sciences
Economics
Electrical engineering
English
English literature
Environmental studies
Event, hospitality, hotel and tourism management
Exercise science
Film, TV and media
Finance
French
Gender Studies
German
History and ancient history
Human resources
Information technology
Innovation and entrepreneurship
International business
International relations
Italian
Japanese
Journalism
Leadership and Management
Linguistics
Marketing
Mathematics and statistics
Mechanical engineering
Microbiology
Music
Philosophy
Physics
Political science
Psychology
Religion
Russian
Sociology
Software engineering
Spanish
Writing

Exchange deadlines

Application for Exchange in UQ Semester 1:
Open: 24 April (for Semester 1 of the following year)
Close: 31 May (for Semester 1 of the following year)

Application for Exchange in UQ Semester 2:
Open: 24 September (for Semester 2 of the following year)
Close: 31 October (for Semester 2 of the following year)
Extended Deadline: 28 Nov 2024 (for exchange in Sem 2, 2025)

Accommodation

All undergraduate exchange students are guaranteed housing on-campus in residence halls. These halls are equipped with kitchen facilities and remain open during semester breaks. Please note that on-campus housing is very limited, and while a place is guaranteed, students may not receive their first housing preference. More information regarding the accommodation options at USC can be found on the housing webpage, including the costs associated with campus housing

Cost of living

UofSC provides an outline of the estimated cost of living for students studying in Columbia.

Additional Mandatory Fees

UofSC has a mandatory technology fee of $200 USD (as at September 2019) applicable to all students including exchange students. Additionally, laboratory fees and fees associated with field trips are regarded as non-tuition, and therefore must be paid by the student. 

Financial support

A range of funding for student exchange including scholarships, grants and loans are available to UQ students.  

Insurance

Students approved to participate in a Semester-based Exchange are automatically covered by UQ’s Travel Insurance for the country of their host university only.

For more information, read the Student Travel Insurance Policy Summary on UQ’s Travel Insurance web page (login required).

If you plan to travel outside of your host country, you should purchase additional insurance.

For the remainder of 2022, incoming exchange students to UofSC are required to purchase the UofSC Student Health Insurance Plan

Starting in the Spring 2023 semester, all incoming exchange students to UofSC can elect for the UofSC’s insurance plan or choose from one of these three U.S. based alternative insurance plans: ISO Student Health Insurance, PSI Insurance, or PGH Global. UofSC insurance offers the most coverage and access to UofSC on-campus health services. The three alternative plans are also approved plans for the UofSC insurance coverage requirements and sufficient for use within the U.S. health care system. 

Exchange students may be eligible to waive the Health Insurance Plan if they have additional cover that meets UofSC's minimum requirements. UQ’s Corporate Travel Insurance does not meet UofSC's minimum waiver requirements.

Before purchasing an additional policy, students should confirm that the policy meets UofSC's minimum waiver requirements. Please note that the waiver of the Health Insurance Plan is not guaranteed and subject to approval from UofSC.

A waiver is not automatic. Do not assume that a waiver will be approved or that you will receive a waiver based on the experience of a friend from UQ who studied at the same institution on exchange.

Exchange deadlines

Application for Exchange in UQ Semester 1:
Open: 24 April (for Semester 1 of the following year)
Close: 31 May (for Semester 1 of the following year)

Application for Exchange in UQ Semester 2:
Open: 24 September (for Semester 2 of the following year)
Close: 31 October (for Semester 2 of the following year)
Extended Deadline: 28 Nov 2024 (for exchange in Sem 2, 2025)

Organise your visa

It is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct visa for the country where you will be studying. As the Global Experiences team is not a visa-issuing authority we cannot provide visa advice.

UofSC provides visa and immigration information for international students.

Contact the US Embassy and Consulates for more visa information.

Travel risk levels

The University of Queensland cannot and does not allow students to travel to any country with a risk level of 3 (Reconsider your need to travel) or above, as assessed by the Australian Government.

If a country's risk level changes to 3 or above, experiences to that country are suspended until the risk level improves.

Find out the risk level and travel advice, and sign up to receive updates for your host country on the Smartraveller website.

Exchange deadlines

Application for Exchange in UQ Semester 1:
Open: 24 April (for Semester 1 of the following year)
Close: 31 May (for Semester 1 of the following year)

Application for Exchange in UQ Semester 2:
Open: 24 September (for Semester 2 of the following year)
Close: 31 October (for Semester 2 of the following year)
Extended Deadline: 28 Nov 2024 (for exchange in Sem 2, 2025)