The agency updated math course requirements for incoming freshmen and narrowed which exam programs qualify for college credit statewide.
The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education announced revisions to two policies affecting students planning to attend the state’s colleges and universities, according to the commission. Changes begin taking effect this fall.
The College Preparatory Course Prerequisite Requirements for Entering College Freshmen Policy keeps the existing 20-unit college preparatory framework but adds clarity on the required fourth math course, according to the commission. The prior policy described a higher-level math course as one meant for students who had already completed Algebra 2 with Probability. The updated version instead defines it as a course that requires Algebra 2 with Probability as a prerequisite, and it specifies that AP Statistics does not meet that requirement.
That policy applies to students entering high school in fall 2026 and will be fully in place for incoming college freshmen in fall 2030, according to the commission.
The commission also revised the South Carolina Exam-Based Credit Awards Policy, which sets a statewide standard for awarding college credit based on Advanced Placement, Cambridge Assessment International Education and International Baccalaureate exams. The updated policy removes the College-Level Examination Program and DANTES Subject Standardized Tests from coverage, according to the commission.
For Cambridge/AICE exams, the policy now requires a minimum score of C or higher and identifies which Advanced Subsidiary Level exams qualify for credit, while all Advanced Level subjects remain eligible. Previously, institutions had to award credit for scores of E or higher on qualifying AICE exams, according to the commission.
The exam-based credit policy takes effect in fall 2026, with colleges and universities expected to update their catalogs and websites by fall 2027, according to the commission.
Based on a release from S.C. Commission on Higher Education.
Source: S.C. Commission on Higher Education original release.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Associate Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
