The University of South Carolina recently examined how the Columbia campus’ administrative costs compare with other institutions.
Utilizing publicly available data, the analysis compared per-student administrative costs at USC with those of other public universities in our state, schools within the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and public member institutions of the American Association of Universities (AAU).
How USC stacks up
The analysis found that USC’s administrative costs fell below all benchmark groups for three straight years in a row (2020, 2021, 2022). That means USC is on average more administratively efficient than public four-year colleges within South Carolina, as well as the 14 schools within the SEC and the 65 AAU member institutions. With significant reductions in administrative costs in recent fiscal years, the university is expected to continue to compare favorably in the future.
Why it matters
USC strives to be a good steward of all sources of funding while working to contain costs for students and their families. That’s why USC’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2023-24 seeks to keep tuition affordable for students across its eight-campus system while also making key investments in classrooms and innovative learning spaces, research infrastructure and initiatives to support needs of students across the entire university system.
"At the University of South Carolina, we remain mindful that our expenditures are really an investment in our students and in the state’s future."
Just the beginning
In addition to the cost analysis, the university last fall created the new Office of Organizational Excellence and Effectiveness. The office reports directly to the USC President Michael Amiridis and is focused on improving experiences for students and employees, with an eye toward optimizing both the delivery of services and the effective use of resources.
“At the University of South Carolina, we remain mindful that our expenditures are really an investment in our students and in the state’s future. We have an obligation to safeguard that investment by using our resources wisely and finding innovative ways to become more efficient while maintaining institutional excellence,” said USC President Michael Amiridis.