The University of South Carolina’s Honors and Awards Commission is accepting applications for the Outstanding Senior awards.

Students selected to receive an Outstanding Senior award will also be considered for the university’s top undergraduate honors – the President’s Award, Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award and Steven N. Swanger Leadership Award.

The Outstanding Senior Award, President’s Award, Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award and the Steven N. Swanger Leadership Award will be presented at the annual University Awards Day, which will be held April 18, 2024, at 2 p.m. on the Historic Horseshoe. Recipients will be notified prior to the ceremony.

Outstanding Senior
Students who receive the university’s Outstanding Senior award have demonstrated major achievement in the categories of service, leadership, academics and research.

President’s Award
Selection for the President's Award is based on academic accomplishments, leadership achievements, co-curricular involvement and service to the Carolina community. Recipients have demonstrated major achievement in the categories of service, leadership, academics and research. Students chosen to receive this honor are among the university's most exceptional graduating seniors.

Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award
The Sullivan is the university’s highest student honor and is presented each year to one graduating female and one graduating male for outstanding achievements, campus leadership, exemplary character and service to the community. The award, given at 70 colleges and universities across the country, is named for the 19th-century New York lawyer and philanthropist.

The Steven N. Swanger Leadership Award
The university’s second-highest undergraduate honor, the Steven N. Swanger Leadership Award, is named for a former president of Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), which co-sponsors University Awards Day. It is given to a graduating senior for exemplary leadership and for making significant contributions to the Carolina community.

Students must meet the following criteria in order to be considered for senior awards:
• Must graduate from an undergraduate degree program at USC Columbia between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024.
• Must have completed at least 75 academic credit hours.
• Must exemplify scholarship, involvement, citizenship and leadership in academic and co-curricular activities.
• Must submit all information in this online application only and electronically sign the honor statement.
• Students who have requested a privacy indicator on their records must sign the waiver to release award information.

If you have any questions, please contact the Department of Student Life at saawards@mailbox.sc.edu or 803-777-5782.