I. UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

A. General

1) Use the University of South Carolina on first reference. After the first reference, other terms such as Carolina, South Carolina, and the University may be used to add variety. When University is used in this manner, always capitalize it. After the third reference, USC may be used sparingly as well, but we try to avoid heavy reliance on this acronym, as it easily gets us confused with another major university when we are targeting national or international audiences.

2) Lowercase the t in the when making formal reference to the University of South Carolina. When using the name as a stand-alone title or referring to the University in a tabular list or address, omit the.

B. Campuses

1) When referring to all eight campuses, the use of system is acceptable. The name University of South Carolina or the University refers to the Columbia campus in pieces specific to that campus. It may also be used as a reference to all campuses.

2) Formal written reference to a campus should consist of University of South Carolina followed by a word space and the name of the individual campus. USC may be used in place of University of South Carolina for a more informal reference to a campus. Do not use a hyphen, dash, or comma before the campus name. Do not use prepositions such as in or at.

University of South Carolina Columbia
University of South Carolina Aiken or USC Aiken
University of South Carolina Beaufort or USC Beaufort

3) The Columbia campus may be referred to as the University of South Carolina’s main campus.

4) Aiken, Beaufort, and Upstate should be referred to as senior or four-year campuses.

5) Lancaster, Salkehatchie, Sumter, and Union should be referred to as regional campuses. They should not be referred to as two-year or branch campuses.

6) When referring informally to any campus, do not capitalize the word campus.

The Sumter campus will hold graduation ceremonies on May 7.
Funds were sought for renovations on the USC Beaufort campus.

Note: With this language, USC and the University become the official reference for all eight campuses. A particular campus should be referred to in one of the ways noted above.

C. Named Schools

1) As of summer 2009, use The Darla Moore School of Business for all standard first references. Darla Moore School is an acceptable second reference.

2) Use Arnold School of Public Health for all standard references. The full name—The Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health—should be used only for formal occasions (e.g., commencement) or for legal purposes. Arnold School is an acceptable second reference.

3) The with an initial capital T is part of the official name of The Graduate School.