Registration for and frequently asked questions about New Student Orientation should be directed to the Office of New Student Orientation. All new students must attend Orientation to be advised and register for courses.

You will view academic related videos as part of completion of the Pre-Orientation Module through the Office of New Student Orientation. STUDENTS: Please view these videos & complete the quizzes in the Orientation portal. The videos are linked below for reference. 

• Overview of Academics at USC
• Carolina Core
• Change of Major
• Overview of Advising & Registration (Freshman) - PDF
• Pre-Orientation Advising Worksheet

Freshman & Transfer students: Complete the Pre-Orientation Advising Worksheet when you register for Orientation. Your advisor will use it to prepare for advisement. STUDENTS: Please make sure you view the Pre-Orientation Advising Worksheet video & complete the module in the Orientation portal. 

If you need to access your worksheet to complete sections or make updates, click here: https://www.sc.edu/advising/system/orientation/

Honors College students: Honors College advising and course registration is conducted by phone for incoming freshmen. Please refer to the Honors College for honors specific advising processes.

You will complete the Math Assessment of Prerequisites online. This is a requirement before attending your Orientation session. Failure to complete the MAP will impact your advisement. You must take the MAP no later than 3 business days before orientation. You will record your placement test score(s) on your Pre-Orientation Advising Worksheet before attending orientation.

Learn more about or register for the Math Assessment of Prerequisites (MAP)

For summer 2023, there will be remote (virtual) versions of all available language exams each Wednesday during orientation. 

Students must register for an appointment to take the test via the Language Placement Testing Website. Upon registering, students will receive an email confirmation with details about the exam. Please note, the exam will be available for 24 hours on that date and may only be taken one time. 

Note: At this time, there are no plans for face-to-face testing.

Learn more about the Foreign Language Placement Exam

How prior coursework will transfer to USC is a key concern for many transfer students. If you have questions about how and if prior coursework will apply to your major, review the transfer student guide to credit articulation. 

All new students to USC must attend New Student Orientation to be advised. Students will register for courses immediately following advisement. 

Your Orientation schedule will include an advising session with academic advisors from your academic space. 

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions maintains a table of the USC credit  you may receive for high scores on Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exams. 

Be sure to request that testing agencies send official AP/IB credit directly to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The AP code for USC is 5818.

Consult the Transfer Equivalency Tables provided by the University Registrar. 

Be sure to submit official, sealed transcripts for all coursework at non-USC institutions to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

DegreeWorks is an online degree auditing and academic planning tool that helps you review your progress toward degree completion. DegreeWorks will show all requirements for your intended major, including Carolina Core requirements. Prior coursework received and processed by the University will also appear.

You can access DegreeWorks by logging in to Self-Service Carolina and selecting the student tab. 

Check out this video if you need help understanding your DegreeWorks degree audit. 

Learn more about the Carolina Core, its requirements, and its courses. Please Note: some majors require specific Carolina Core courses. Not all courses listed on the website may apply to all majors. Your advisor will share more about this at orientation.