With over 7,500 new students arriving on campus this month, this Gamecock freshman class brings excitement and an energetic buzz back to the Columbia campus. Here are some numbers about our incoming students that help give a picture of the resources it takes to support them, the activities they take part in and how they’ll impact campus life.
Incoming students
40,000 — Total enrollment on the USC Columbia campus
7,800 — Estimated freshmen entering the University of South Carolina this fall
4,100 — Estimated freshmen who are residents of South Carolina: 53 percent of the class
62 — Estimated sets of twins entering the University of South Carolina this fall as freshmen
46 — Estimated number of states represented by this fall’s freshman class
2,050 – Estimated number of high schools represented by this fall’s freshman class
$500 million — Approximate amount of financial aid dollars received by the university’s students in 2024-25
Moving in
9,702 — Projected students who will live in university housing this year
3,419 — Undergraduates participating in specialized communities within the residence halls, including Honors
185,500 — Packages delivered to resident students during the 2024-25 academic year, including 21,300 delivered through the August 2024 move-in period and nearly 18,200 parcels delivered to the lockers at Russell House and new lockers at Campus Village.
Feeding the crowds
900+ – Associates who work with 15 campus chefs at Carolina Food Co. (300+ being USC students)
36 – Dining halls and food retail locations across campus
8 – Columbia food trucks/restaurant partners featured on campus
82,800 – Pounds of chicken fingers served in 2024-25
2.78 million — Grubhub orders over the 2024-25 academic year, with 72 percent of retail orders placed via the mobile app
259 – Dining special events and promotions held in the 2024-25 academic year
25 – Starship delivery robots on campus delivering to 60 locations across campus
74 – Tons of waste composted and diverted from the land fill
Keeping students healthy
12,620 — Patients/clients who had health or wellness visits with Student Health Services in 2024-25
73,382 — Patient/client visits to Student Health Services in 2024-25
1,934 — Flu shots administered by Student Health Services in 2024-25
14,115 — Prescriptions filled at the pharmacy in 2024-25
Sports and student life
677 — Registered student organizations
78,744 — Student tickets scanned for the seven home football games
173,910 — Student tickets distributed for football, baseball and men’s and women’s basketball in the 2024-25 academic year
61,799 — Commencement guest tickets distrusted for the 2024-25 academic year
2.1 million — Total traffic in the Russell House university union during 2024-25
10,364 — Events hosted in Russell House during 2024-25
854,000 — Total traffic in the Thomas Cooper Library during 2024-25
Students serving
4,990 — Hours of service that student volunteers served in the CommUnity Shop serving 12,332 visits, an economic impact of $173,600
$1.8 million — Amount raised by fraternity and sorority members for chapter-based philanthropy efforts during 2024-25
9,066 — Students affiliated with USC fraternities and sororities in 2024-25
Parents and families
7,238 — Number of parents, family members and USC students who participated in Family Weekend 2024 (Family Weekend 2025 is set for Sept. 11-13. Registration deadline is Aug. 29.)
93,988 — Parents and family members registered with the Gamecock Family Hub
Recreational sports
662,462— Visits to the Wellness & Fitness Center in 2024-25
2,657 — Intramural games played during the 2024-25 season
3,554 — Engagements in Outdoor Recreation activities (climbing wall, adventure trips, ORec Hub) during 2024-25
$10,611 — Raised for Special Olympics through 63 participants and over 153 donors during the Inaugural Campus Recreation Polar Plunge, in partnership with USCPD & Law Enforcement Torch Run in January
Achieving student success
9,000 — Free student planners available for current students
388 — Students serving as Peer Leaders providing peer-to-peer support in 2024-25
75,523 — Student engagements with the Student Success Center across a range of services, such as visits to Peer Tutoring, Supplemental Instruction and Success Coaching in 2024-25
37,084 — Calls made to current students from the Student Success Center Call Center in 2024-25
589 — Engagements with graduate students from the Student Success Center’s Graduate Student Support program