Although the school year is just getting started, many high school seniors across the state are already focusing on the transition to college as they participate in College Application Month, an annual Commission on Higher Education-led campaign to help high school students navigate and complete their college applications.
In 2023, 249 South Carolina high schools hosted College Application Month events with more than 31,000 applications being submitted by the 50,000 participants. The events run from September through November.
"College Application Month offers students immediate support with the crucial first step in their journey to higher education: completing their college applications," said Gerrick Hampton, Ed.D., associate director of the CHE Office of Student Affairs. "The success of College Application Month lies in the collaborative efforts of the CHE, higher education institutions, and high schools, all working together to help seniors access higher education."
Key campaign partners also include the Carolina Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (CACRAO) and ACT, one of the state’s standardized testing agencies.
“As a first generation, soon to be college student, I find College Application Day very useful for students who don’t have the help at home or don’t have time to sit down and apply for college,” said Skylar Hillier, student body vice president at Richland Northeast High School.
"This is one of the best college application days that we had thus far. I’m very excited, I’m very thankful for the college reps that came out to support us,” said Cynthia James, the college information specialist at Richland Northeast High School.
Each year a “School of Excellence” is also recognized for demonstrating consistency or significant improvement in student success and participation in the program, as well as meeting all required data reporting deadlines. The winner for 2023, Belton-Honea Path High School in Honea Path, will be presented with their award at their college application event this fall.
College Application Month was first held in South Carolina in 2009 and has since become a vital component of state efforts to encourage college attendance. The program’s success has grown tremendously since its inception. In its first year, just 12 high schools participated, with 1,000 seniors collectively submitting about 2,000 applications.
College Application Month is recognized for being especially helpful to students from under-resourced communities and backgrounds.
College Application Month and the CHE’s college access campaigns directly support the CHE’s long-term strategic goal of increasing higher education attainment in South Carolina state by promoting college accessibility. Ultimately, this contributes to the state’s growing economy by providing more skilled and trained workers to meet the increasingly technical demands of the modern workforce. By 2027, 70 percent of all jobs are expected to require some education beyond high school.
The state’s current higher education attainment rate is 50.1 percent as of the most recent data from 2022 - the CHE’s goal is to reach 60 percent by 2030.
| College Application Month Participant Statistics from 2023 |
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Gender:
Race/Ethnicity:
Number of Schools Applied to:
First in Family to Attend College: 32% |
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