The Commission recently approved two policies that will impact South Carolina high school students preparing for college by updating preparatory course requirements for admission to South Carolina’s public four-year institutions as well as standardizing the award of college credit for nationally recognized examinations.

The policies were approved on May 7 and will begin taking effect in fall 2026.

“These updates provide students and families with clear expectations for college admission and consistency in how prior academic achievement is recognized across South Carolina’s public colleges and universities,” said CHE Office of Academic Affairs and Licensing Director Angela W. Peters, Ph.D. 

College prep course prerequisite policy

The updated College Preparatory Course Prerequisite Policy spells out the minimum high school coursework required for admission to the state’s public four‑year institutions, replacing previous guidance with a more detailed, college‑readiness‑focused roadmap. 

It was developed in collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Education, the Education Oversight Committee, college English and mathematics faculty, and high school English and mathematics teachers.

Beginning with students who enter high school in fall 2026, a 20‑unit sequence in English, mathematics, laboratory science, social studies, world language, arts, physical education or JROTC, and approved electives will form the baseline for freshman admission starting fall 2030.

English requirements now explicitly call for robust reading, speaking, writing, and research, and the guidance highlights multimodal communication and rhetorical analysis to help students succeed in first‑year college English courses. In mathematics, the policy specifies Geometry with Statistics, Algebra 1, and Algebra 2 with Probability, and strongly encourages four years of algebra‑based mathematics through courses such as Precalculus and Calculus.

Science guidance continues a strong STEM focus by requiring three laboratory science courses and encouraging interested students to take all four core science fields—biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science. The policy also modernizes terminology by replacing “foreign language” with “world language” and expands the arts category to include areas such as media and digital arts, design and media arts, dance, music, theater, and visual and spatial arts.

To promote rigor, the policy points students toward advanced options including Honors, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge, and dual‑enrollment coursework. Advanced electives now explicitly include computer science alongside humanities, arts, and laboratory science, signaling the importance of digital skills in college and career readiness.

Exam-based credit awards policy

A companion policy, the South Carolina Exam-Based Credit Awards Policy, creates a unified statewide approach to awarding college credit for nationally recognized examination programs. 

“Our goal is to make it easier for students and families to understand how exam scores count toward a degree, so they can plan smarter pathways from high school into college,” said CHE College Completion and Transfer and Articulation Manager Tim Rees, Ed.D. 

These updated standards were developed by a task force with representation from CHE as well as admissions and registrar professionals from post-secondary institutions. The standards take effect in fall 2026 for students entering college: postsecondary institutions must update catalogs and websites by fall 2027.

The policy covers the following examination programs:

• Advanced Placement (AP)
• Cambridge Assessment International Education (AICE)
• College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
• DANTES Subject Standardized Test (DSST)
• International Baccalaureate (IB)

Key provisions include:

• AP: Public institutions must award credit for scores of 3 or higher. Institutions may award additional credit for scores of 4 or 5.
• AICE: Institutions must award credit for scores of E or higher on AS and A Level examinations.
• CLEP: Institutions must award credit for qualifying scores consistent with national recommendations, generally a score of 50 or higher.
• DSST: Institutions must award credit for qualifying scores based on recommendations from the American Council on Education.
• IB: Institutions must award credit for scores of 4 or higher on higher-level examinations or may award up to 24 semester hours for students who complete the full IB diploma with qualifying scores.

Additional requirements include:

• Credit should satisfy general education or core curriculum requirements whenever appropriate, rather than being awarded only as elective credit.
• Institutions are not required to award more than eight credits in a single discipline area.
• Colleges and universities must publish score thresholds, course equivalencies and credit awards in academic catalogs and on their websites.

Both policies will be reviewed on a regular basis with input from faculty, administrators, and students to ensure relevance and effectiveness as well as alignment with best practices and evolving national standards.