Division of Development and Alumni Relations

Support the Promise
of USC Upstate

Founded in 1967, the University of South Carolina Upstate has spent the last 43 years developing its mission as one of the Southeast’s leading metropolitan universities. USC Upstate offers more than 40 bachelor’s degree programs in the liberal arts and sciences, business administration, nursing and teacher education, and master’s degrees in education.  USC Upstate's success is the result of strong relationships to its surrounding cities, their connecting corridors and expanding populations.

About USC Upstate

The history of USC Upstate is a chronicle of remarkable development. USC Upstate was established primarily to avert a serious health care problem when Spartanburg General Hospital announced it was phasing out its diploma program for registered nurses. A citizens’ committee investigated the situation and ultimately requested that Spartanburg be included in the University of South Carolina system.

The Spartanburg Regional Campus, as it was first known, opened its doors in the fall of 1967 to 177 students on the first floor of the Spartanburg General Hospital nursing residence. Enrollment continued to increase, which resulted in the school becoming a four-year university in 1975.

USC Upstate boasts an enrollment of 5,500 students and aims to be recognized nationally among its peer metropolitan institutions for its excellence in education and commitment to its students, for its involvement in the Upstate, for its operational and managerial effectiveness, for its civility and common purpose, and for the clarity and integrity of its mission.

The thriving campus, which includes 330 acres, new roadways, an athletic complex, residential housing for 1,000, a minority enrollment exceeding 33 percent, and a Health Education Complex is much different from its early, rather humble beginnings. USC Upstate has a Greenville campus for commuting junior and senior level students, which enrolls more than 1,000 students each year. The George Dean Johnson, Jr. College of Business and Economics in downtown Spartanburg opened in May 2010 and serves over 800 business majors.

The USC Upstate Spartans now compete on the NCAA Division I level as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Spartans field 17 varsity sports—basketball, soccer, tennis, golf, cross country, and track and field for both women and men; baseball for men; and softball and volleyball for women.

Priorities