In keeping with the University of South Carolina’s commitment to increasing student graduation and retention rates, the University Advising Center launched the non-registered initiative in Spring 2020. The initiative serves students by assigning advisors to contact students who are eligible to register for the upcoming term but have not done so, helping identify and resolve barriers to registration. These outreach efforts also allow the university to better understand why some students chose not to return to campus.

Academic Advisors from across campus have provided this service to 6,454 unique students, successfully boosting class registration among those not signed up for classes during the registration period.

By the numbers:

Since 2021, academic advisors responded to 8,285 instances of eligible students who were not registered for the upcoming semester (6,454 unique students). This number includes:

• 1,562 first-generation students
• 1,593 transfer students
• 98 students receiving the Gamecock Guarantee

In Spring 2024 alone, the initiative reduced the number of non-registered students from 1,123 on December 11, 2023 to 766 on January 22, 2024. This represents a 31.79% decrease in the number of non-registered students.

What they’re saying:

"By advisors proactively reaching out to students who haven't registered for classes, we can identify challenges they may be facing and ensure they have the resources they need to succeed. Clearly, this approach has been successful and I am optimistic that we'll be able to continue help more students reach graduation." – Lara Lomicka Anderson, vice provost for undergraduate studies and dean of undergraduate education

Learn more about the non-registered initiative.