CHE announced today the revision of two policies impacting students planning to attend South Carolina colleges and universities, with changes beginning to go into effect this fall.

College Prerequisites

The updated College Preparatory Course Prerequisite Requirements for Entering College Freshmen Policy retains the existing 20-unit college preparatory course framework while providing additional clarity regarding the fourth required mathematics course. The previous policy defined a higher-level mathematics course as one “intended for students who have already completed the content of Algebra 2 with Probability.” The updated policy defines it as a course that “requires Algebra 2 with Probability as a prerequisite” and explicitly states that AP Statistics does not qualify as the higher-level mathematics course required under the policy. 

The policy takes effect for students entering high school in Fall 2026 and will be fully implemented for entering college and university freshmen in Fall 2030. 

Exam-Based Credit 

The South Carolina Exam-Based Credit Awards Policy provides a unified statewide approach to awarding college credit for Advanced Placement (AP), Cambridge Assessment International Education (AICE), International Baccalaureate (IB) examination programs. The updated policy no longer includes College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) and DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST).  

Cambridge/AICE requirements have also been revised to establish a minimum score of C or higher and specifies which Advanced Subsidiary (AS) Level examinations qualify for credit. All Advanced Level (A) subjects remain eligible. Previously, institutions were required to award appropriate credit for scores of E or higher on qualifying AICE examinations. The Exam-Based Credit Awards Policy takes effect in Fall 2026, with initial institutional catalog and website updates to be completed by Fall 2027.