University of South Carolina freezes tuition, will offer free ChatGPT access and AI certifications – WLTX
COLUMBIA, S.C. — On Friday, the University of South Carolina announced that it is again freezing in-state tuition and will now offer students, faculty and staff free access to artificial intelligence tools.
The USC Board of Trustees approved leaving tuition unchanged for South Carolina residents for the seventh consecutive year. For South Carolina residents, that means a tuition of $6,344 per semester. Meanwhile, nonresidents will see a 3% increase to $18,694 per undergraduate semester.
The budget also includes an increase in housing and meal plans of $233 and $96, respectively, but the university said this was the smallest increase in five years. The university also introduced a $300 annual athletics auxiliary fee to assist with student access to events, safety and fan experience upgrades.
The university, however, stressed that these will not be used to fund Williams-Brice Stadium renovations, name, image and likeness (NIL) payments or coaching contracts.
On the academic side, the university said that it would become the first university in South Carolina to offer free enterprise access to ChatGPT for all students, faculty and staff through a $1.5 million partnership with OpenAI that will launch in the fall.
The university announced broad use guidelines for the new tools that included study aids, time management and workforce preparation for students and grading, research and lesson planning for faculty.
In conjunction with these changes, the university will also offer an undergraduate certificate in artificial intelligence literacy beginning in the fall. This certificate will consist of two core AI courses and two electives related to the students’ majors.
And finally, the board of trustees announced that the Columbia campus will receive more funding to hire faculty and improve student academic support.
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