University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina is the state's flagship public research university in Columbia. Its most useful feature for a Kazakh applicant is procedural: it is test-optional for international first-year applicants through summer 2027, it superscores the SAT and ACT regardless of when the exams were taken, and official test scores are required only on enrolment, so no reporting fees are incurred while an applicant is still deciding. Conditional admission is available through English Programs for Internationals, and a one-year International Accelerator Program leads into a four-year degree. On money, South Carolina is candid: it 'does not currently offer need-based scholarships to international students', undergraduate international students 'typically pay the out-of-state tuition rate', and its own International Student Excellence Scholarship is just USD 500 a year. Departmental scholarships are the realistic route. From Fall 2026 students are required to have health insurance.