First-Year Experience

The Office of First-Year Experience (FYE) is designed to support incoming students navigate through their first year of college. Through collaborations with faculty, staff, and peer leaders, the FYE will afford opportunities for students to empower, engage, and explore. The FYE will provide quality programs to meet first year students’ academic and personal goals. All first-year students participate in New Student Orientation, University 101, opportunities for mentoring, and more. The goal of the FYE is ensure a sense of belonging and provide tools for academic success.

Our Mission

The First-Year Experience aims to foster a sense of belonging, promote engagement in academics, encourage University activities and learning experiences, and provide opportunities for first-time students to develop leadership skills that align with career and life goals.

Bulldog Ready

Once you've applied and been accepted to SC State, new freshmen and transfer students can get a head start on entering the university during Bulldog Ready. Bulldog Ready is a series of spring and summer registration workshops designed to smoothly assist you through the enrollment and registration process before you start classes. Counselors from Admissions, Financial Aid, Housing and the Student Success Center are on hand to answer questions and walk you through each step. Dates are for 2024.

Contact the First-Year Experience team to learn more about Bulldog Ready & make an appointment.

New Student Orientation

New Student Orientation is the first step to becoming an official SC State Bulldog! All freshman and incoming transfer students are required to participate. You'll be introduced to the SC State campus, living areas, student center, and all the resources available for your benefit. In your orientation session, you'll meet other incoming students just like yourself and have the opportunity to learn more about your future home before classes begin.

Student Orientation Leaders

Student Orientation Leaders are a select group of upperclassmen who assist new students with their transition to the university during fall orientation, New Student Orientation activities, and with first-year adjustments to the collegiate environment.

First Year Coaching/Advising

An academic success coach is assigned to each first-time student for the fall and spring semesters. Academic coaches provide support to help students develop skills directly and indirectly related to academics. The first-time students meet with their coach at least twice a semester. The coaches assist with registration for spring and the next fall semester.

University 101

University 101 is a one-hour required course designed to help incoming you adjust to life at SC State as you begin your freshman year. During this course, you'll interact with other freshmen in a seminar setting to complete tasks and provide guidance and support. The objective of the class is to help you adjust to college life and serves as a safe space to ask questions and get familiar with opportunities at SC State.

Academic Success Coaches

The Student Success Center provides academic success coaches to all students who enroll at SC State. The coaches communicate with the students and their professors to track and maintain progress in their classes. The coaches also help students develop good attendance and study habits and navigate pitfalls that may hold them back.

Bulldog Rebound

Bulldog Rebound is an initiative to support freshmen (students with 0-29 credit hours) students who are struggling or not meeting academic standing. The purpose of Bulldog Rebound is to identify factors that may have contributed to a students’ lack of academic success and define a process that students can achieve success. The program introduces and promotes the development of skills necessary to enhance academic success. Emphasis is placed on academic activities and monitoring to promote utilization of positive study habits.

5th Week Grade Reporting

5th week grades provide an early alert to students who may need academic support after the fifth week of school and before midterms. If students are not meeting academic standing, they meet with their academic success coach for intervention tools.

First-Year Pinning Ceremony

First-time freshmen participate in The Pinning Ceremony during fall Convocation. The pinning ceremony is a time the freshmen are together with faculty, staff, and all other students as the official welcome to the university. The first-time freshmen recite the university’s Stateite Creed and pin themselves with a SCSU pin to show the pride of their school when attending campus and off campus events.

Flourish & Molding Men

Flourish, an all first-year women's organization, and Molding Men, a group for first-year men, is a five-week leadership institute at South Carolina State University in correlation with the First-Year Experience. Throughout the institute students will have the opportunity to shape their leadership skills, while focusing on academic achievement and providing community service to our beloved campus and the surrounding area.

Tri-Alpha Honor Society

Alpha Alpha Alpha, also known as "Tri-Alpha," is a national honor society for first-generation scholars. This honor society is a way to celebrate the academic achievements of our first-generation students and is open to upperclassmen, faculty and staff, and alumni. All inductees must serve as mentors to first-time, first-generation students.

Peer-to-peer Mentoring

SCSU Mentor Collective is a peer-to-peer online mentoring program. First year students are matched with trained upperclassmen mentors for guidance and support. Mentors assess student success, behaviors, and nudge accordingly to ensure students are building confidence and independence.

Freshmen, Faculty & Frappe’

Freshmen, Faculty and Frappe’ is an opportunity for a first-time student to invite a faculty member to Starbucks to connect outside the classroom. Faculty connections can lead to internships, mentoring, recommendations, and an overall learning experience.