College Requirements

College Preparatory Course Prerequisite Requirements For Entering College Freshmen  

As published by the SC Commission on Higher Education 

1. FOUR UNITS OF ENGLISH: All four units must have strong reading (including works of fiction and non-fiction), writing, communicating and researching components. It is strongly recommended that students take two units that are literature-based, including American, British, and World Literature. 

2. FOUR UNITS OF MATHEMATICS: These units must include Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Geometry. A fourth higher-level mathematics unit should be taken before or during the senior year.

3. THREE UNITS OF LABORATORY SCIENCE: Two units must be taken in two different fields of the physical, earth, or life sciences and selected from among biology, chemistry, physics, or earth science. The third unit may be from the same field as one of the first two units (biology, chemistry, physics, or earth science) or from any laboratory science for which biology, chemistry, physics, and/or earth science is a prerequisite. Courses in general or introductory science for which one of these four units is not a prerequisite will not meet this requirement. It is strongly recommended that students desiring to pursue careers in science, mathematics, engineering, or technology take one course in all four fields (biology, chemistry, physics, or earth science.) 

4. TWO UNITS OF THE SAME WORLD LANGUAGE: Two units with a heavy emphasis on language acquisition.

5. THREE UNITS OF SOCIAL SCIENCE: One unit of U.S. History, a half unit of Economics, and a half unit of Government are required. World History or Geography is strongly recommended

6. ONE UNIT OF FINE ARTS: One unit in appreciation of, history of, or performance in one of the fine arts. The unit should be selected from among media/digital arts, dance, music, theater, or visual and spatial arts. 

7. ONE UNIT OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION OR JROTC: One unit of physical education to include one semester of personal fitness and another semester in lifetime fitness. Exemption applies to students enrolled in Junior ROTC and for students exempted because of physical disability or for religious reasons. 

8. TWO UNITS OF ELECTIVES: Two units must be taken as electives. A college preparatory course in Computer Science (i.e., one involving significant programming content, not simply keyboarding or using applications) is strongly recommended for this elective. Other acceptable electives include college preparatory courses in English; fine arts; foreign languages; social science; humanities; mathematics; physical education; and laboratory science (courses for which biology, chemistry, physics, or earth science is a prerequisite). 

NOTES:  

1. Foundations in Algebra and Intermediate Algebra may count together as a substitute for Algebra 1 if a student successfully completes Algebra 2. No other courses may be substituted for the three required mathematics courses (Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Geometry).

2. Each institution may make exceptions in admitting students who do not meet all of the prerequisites, limited to those individual cases in which the failure to meet one or more prerequisites is due to circumstances beyond the reasonable control of the students. 

3. The College Preparatory Course Prerequisite Requirements are minimal requirements for four-year public college admission. Therefore, students should check early with colleges of their choice to plan to meet additional high school prerequisites that might be required for admission and to prepare for college entrance examinations. 

4. Students should prepare themselves for college-level work by enrolling in challenging high school courses, such as honors, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and dual enrollment courses. 

5. It is the responsibility of each school district to disseminate this set of requirements to entering freshmen students interested in pursuing a four-year college degree in South Carolina upon graduation from high school and to provide the web address for their viewing: 

https://che.sc.gov/students-families-and-military/preparing-college

6. This revision of the College Preparatory Course Prerequisite Requirements shall be fully implemented for students entering high schools beginning Fall 2015 and colleges and universities as freshmen beginning in Fall 2019. In the interim period, the 2011-12 version of the Prerequisites (approved by the Commission on Higher Education on October 5, 2006) remains acceptable. 

7. The next revision cycle should begin in Fall 2020.