COLUMBIA (AP) -- The University of South Carolina may increase its freshman class by as many as 500 students this fall, as the school struggles with budget cuts.
The State newspaper reported Wednesday that school officials think the fall freshman class could be as large as 4,400 students. Last fall's freshman class totaled about 3,900 students, a record.
Adding as many as 500 more students could bring USC an extra $3 million or more.
School president Harris Pastides told the newspaper that USC has had about $103 million cut from its state funding in the past two years, a cumulative reduction of 46 percent.
He says federal stimulus money has not made up the difference.
School officials say boosting the freshman class will make USC more accessible to South Carolina students.
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