Admissions
Yes, we ask all new students to the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie to attend an orientation session. We feel that orientation prepares our students for what to expect and helps get them finalized to begin their enrollment. Orientations are offered 6 times over the summer prior to the Fall semester and one session is offered on each campus prior to Spring semester. Students can register for orientation here!
USC Salkehatchie does not have a formal application deadline, and will work with students to get them enrolled up until the day classes begin. However, we recommend applying and having all admissions materials to us at least one month prior to the beginning of classes.
Incoming Freshmen should submit official high school transcripts or GED information as well as official copies of their ACT/SAT scores. In order for documents to be official they should be sent directly from the High School or testing center and be unopened. Students who have previous college work will need to submit official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended. High school information and test scores may be requested from transfers depending on the number of credit hours attempted at previous institutions. All students under the age of 25 are required to take the ACT or SAT for acceptance to USC Salkehatchie. For your convenience, the ACT is offered several times a year on campus for students who plan to attend.
New students should Apply Online and submit the appropriate application fee. Paper applications are available upon request by contacting your Admissions Counselor. Students who will be transferring from another USC campus will need to complete a change of campus request inside their Self Service Carolina account.
Financial Aid
Yes. Students may complete an academic scholarship application if they wish to be considered.
The early application deadline is November 15. The final deadline for scholarship applications is April 15.
New students must have a 3.0 GPA or higher and/or scored 1000 on SAT or 21 on ACT.
Returning students must have a 3.0 or higher GPA.
Our federal code for FAFSA is 003454.
- Log into SSC
- Choose Financial Aid, Award, and Award for Aid Year
- Choose the Award Overview Tab to see your award. You can complete the required eligibility certifications for Life, and State Need-Based Grant awards by choosing the Terms and Conditions Tab.
- Then choose the Accept Award Offer tab to accept, decline or adjust any aid that you have been awarded.
To be considered an independent student for financial aid purposes, a student must be able to answer yes to one of the dependency questions on the FAFSA and provide documentation if requested. The FAFSA does not look at whether you were or were not claimed on your parents’ tax return to determine your dependency status.
Our office has a priority date of April 30 for a student to be given full consideration for all types of aid because we have limitations on some types of funding. After April 30, students will be considered for Pell Grant funds, Direct Loan funds, and other types of loan funds.
To apply for federal financial aid at USC Salkehatchie, you must complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). The FAFSA is available each year on October 1; you will use the FAFSA for the fall, spring, and summer semesters of the following academic year.
Prior to completing the FAFSA student and parent (s) must register for a FSA ID which allows you to submit FAFSA electronically.
Parent(s) and student tax information is needed to complete FAFSA.
Leadership Institute
The Leadership Institute, through its partnership with the SBA and the SBDC assigned to the Lowcountry region of SC, refers individual business owners to consultants for assistance with business development. The Institute also provides training sessions and workshops in the region.
The Leadership Institute oversees three major Leadership Development programs:
- Leadership Salkehatchie: Sponsored by SouthernCarolina Alliance, the Economic Development Alliance for 6 counties in the Lowcountry, the Leadership Salkehatchie program focuses on young, rising talent in our area. It meets for 8 months and covers a wide range of topics meant to develop awareness and action in the region. Contact Terri Boone at (803)812-7354 or booneter@mailbox.sc.edu for more information.
- Leadership Colleton: In partnership with the Walterboro Colleton Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Institute staff conduct this leadership program for adults living and/or working in Colleton County. For more information, contact the Walterboro Colleton Chamber of Commerce at (843)549-9595 or chamberadmin@colletoncounty.org .
- Youth Leadership: High school students across the Salkehatchie region in 10th and 11th grade are nominated by their guidance counselors to participate in this program that meets during the school year. The goal of the program is to develop leadership skills and an awareness of the community. For information, contact Warren Chavous at (803)812-7345 or chavousg@mailbox.sc.edu.
The Leadership Institute is located on USC Salkehatchie’s Allendale campus, but leads and participates in programs across the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
The Leadership Institute focuses on programs that make real, tangible advances within its three areas of emphasis: Leadership Development, Community and Economic Development, and Business and Workforce Development.
The Leadership Institute at USC Salkehatchie was established in 1998 by the SC legislature to help stimulate economic development while increasing leadership capacity the Salkehatchie region: Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Colleton and Hampton counties.
Nursing
Yes. Through a partnership with the University of South Carolina College of Nursing in Columbia, USC Salkehatchie is able to offer the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree to our top 16 students each year. At the conclusion of the program, successful participants earn a USC Columbia BSN degree and are eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).
Program participants are USC Salkehatchie students for the first 2 years while completing prerequisite courses, then become a USC Columbia student once accepted into the Upper Division to complete the last 2 years of the program. While a USC Salkehatchie student, participants pay USC Salkehatchie’s tuition, yet once accepted in the Upper Division and become a USC Columbia student, participants pay USC Columbia’s tuition rates and fees. Students remain physically on the USC Salkehatchie campus (Allendale or Walterboro) to complete Upper Division course work and clinical experiences in the Salkehatchie region.
Currently, we accept up to 16 students each year into the Upper Division portion of the program. The number of applicants varies each year and progression is based solely on GPA in designated courses as outlined by the USC College of Nursing (see bolded courses on the Sample BSN Curriculum Plan). Competitiveness varies from year to year and is based on the number of applicants and the GPA of each applicant.
Upper Division courses are taught by USC Columbia College of Nursing professors via various methodologies. The most common form of course delivery is online, via Adobe Connect. Students must be present and online for these classes at a designated day and time. Students sign in to class via a specified website and communicate with professors via a real-time, online method. Several Upper Division courses are solely online, where students complete coursework at their own pace, yet within specific time frames designated by the professor. Live labs accompany several of the Upper Division courses (such as Assessment), where students have an opportunity to practice skills and apply information learned in class. Tests for Adobe Connect classes are completed on the student’s campus of choice (Allendale or Walterboro) with a proctor present.
One of the objectives of the USC Salkehatchie Rural Nursing Initiative is to provide local students the ability to gain the same educational experiences and degree opportunities as students attending and living on the USC Columbia campus with as little travel as possible. Students in the USC Salkehatchie cohorts of the Upper Division attend the majority of clinical and clinically-related experiences within the Salkehatchie region (Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Colleton, and Hampton counties). A small amount of travel to Columbia is necessary for the pediatrics specialty, but this may vary from semester to semester. We strive to keep students’ travel outside of the Salkehatchie region to a minimum.
There is one Upper Division application process each year. The application becomes available via the USC College of Nursing website in November each year and is typically due by the first week of December. The time in which the Upper Division application becomes available and the link to the application are communicated to students by Rural Nursing Initiative Administration via email.
Students who remain on the nursing curriculum are eligible to apply to the Upper Division in the first semester of their sophomore year, and are eligible to progress to the Upper Division when required pre-nursing courses have been completed and the student’s GPA is >3.0 in courses designated by the USC College of Nursing (see BSN Curriculum Plan). Participants must earn a grade of C or better in all required courses to count toward the BSN degree and cannot earn more than one below C grade in any science or nursing course (this deems a student ineligible to progress in the nursing curriculum). Please refer to the USC College of Nursing Undergraduate Student Handbook for more information.
Oftentimes, courses from other colleges do transfer into the USC system, however this cannot be guaranteed by the student’s advisor until an official transcript has been provided to the USC Salkehatchie Admission office. For further information on transfer credits, students can visit the following website:
http://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/registrar/transfer_credits/course_equivalency.php
Students may choose to be part-time while completing pre-nursing courses yet must be enrolled full-time and complete courses in a pre-determined sequence while in the Upper Division.
If a student is enrolled at USC Salkehatchie as an intended nursing major and his/her USC and/or overall GPA falls below a 3.0 , he/she will be placed on probation for one major semester or 12 credit hours. If by the end of the probationary semester, the student’s USC and/or overall GPA is >3.0, the student will be removed from probationary status. If the student does not raise his/her USC and/or overall GPA to a >3.0 by the end of the probationary semester, it is recommended that the student change his/her major. Nursing advisors, however, will work one-on-one with students to map out a plan of action, whether it is to remain on the nursing curriculum and attempt to raise his/her GPA, transfer to another institution, or change his/her major.
This is a traditional BSN program and is not intended as an RN-BSN option. If you are currently an RN looking to advance your education and obtain a BSN degree, please contact our Palmetto College advisor, Melissa Hooks. Find more information on the Palmetto College here.
For additional questions, any of the following USC Salkehatchie Rural Nursing Initiative faculty/staff members will be glad to assist you:
April A. Wolfe, MSN, RN, NRP – Academic Program Manager
Phone: (803) 812-7436 or (843) 782-8699
April Williams – Administrative Assistant
Phone: (803) 812-7435
Palmetto Programs
USC Salkehatchie has a Palmetto College Admissions Representative, Juliana Glynn, that works with each of our Palmetto College students directly to help them with questions and academic pre-evaluations so that our Palmetto College students know what courses that they needs to take and how close each student is to completing their Bachelor’s Degree. She can be contacted via e-mail at jglynn@mailbox.sc.edu or by phone in her Walterboro Office at (843) 782-8694.
All of the Palmetto College Bachelor Degree Completion Programs are fully accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
The program is designed for students that have college credit that need to finish a Bachelor’s Degree in the comfort of their home and the convenience of their schedule. We highly suggest that students who have never completed any college level courses to start their education journey at one of our four Palmetto College campuses, where you will receive your first two years of college credit. With USC Lancaster and USC Union in the northern part of the state, USC Salkehatchie in the low country and USC Sumter in between, you’ll always be close to home.
Once you have 45 credit hours from any accredited college, you can complete your bachelor’s degree online. You can access your coursework from home or the office, or you can pick it up and take it with you to your son’s soccer game, your hair appointment or the nearest Starbucks! And because Palmetto College is part of the USC system, your diploma will carry the same credibility and weight as any other four-year degree from the University of South Carolina.
Click here for a current list of all of our programs.
Student Activities
The USC Salkehatchie Student Handbook is posted on our website. Please be sure to check it out. It contains all kinds of very useful information for students about our campus.
Clubs and advisors are listed in the student handbook. However, some of the clubs may become inactive throughout the academic year. To check on the status of a club, call or email the advisor who is listed in the handbook, or call the Student Activities Office at 803-812-7341-Allendale or 843-782-8678-Walterboro or email Student Activities Director-Rob Brendle at rbrendle@mailbox.sc.edu.
There are 5 ways students can get information regarding information for events:
- Calendar of events hung around campus for students to view.
- Flat screen TVs located around campus with information on upcoming USC Salk events.
- Student Activity Events are placed in all Bathroom Stall Walls on each campus.
- Social Media: Facebook and Instagram.
- Online Events Calendar on the USC Salk Website
The following are required steps in starting a new club:
- Define your club’s purpose and create a purpose statement.
- Find an advisor (USC Salk Staff or Faculty).
- Hold an interest meeting and find five members (including yourself). You may want to also define your club officers at this time: President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.
- Create a club mission statement and submit it to the USC Salkehatchie Student Government for review.