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The University of South Carolina system smashed fundraising records this year, bringing in $357.6 million during fiscal year 2026, nearly 40% more than its previous record of $259.7 million, set last year.
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Donations flowed in from more than 48,000 individual donors this year, including some 16,000 first-time supporters, demonstrating an unprecedented level of participation from Gamecock alumni, families and friends of the university, school officials said in a statement Wednesday announcing the achievement.
“This historic year reflects great confidence in the mission of the University of South Carolina,” USC President Michael Amiridis said in the statement. “Our alumni, friends and partners are investing in the people, ideas and discoveries that will shape USC’s future. Their generosity is expanding opportunity, accelerating innovation and strengthening our impact across South Carolina and beyond.”
The university’s fundraising capacity has come a long way since 2021, when its vice president for development resigned amid dysfunction within her division, which she referred to as a “mess” that would take “a while” to get sorted out, according to emails obtained by The State Media Co.
USC’s current top fundraising official, Michelle Dodenhoff, said in a statement Wednesday that the university’s bumper year proves what’s possible when thousands of people rally behind a shared vision for Carolina.
“From first-time donors to transformational philanthropists, every gift moved the university forward,” she said. “That collective generosity is strengthening every college, every campus and every student we serve. People want to be part of what’s happening at Carolina — and that momentum is only growing.”
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The university’s largest gift this year came in May, courtesy of the late Kay and C. Edward Floyd, USC’s longest-serving board member, whose $30 million donation resulted in the renaming of the university’s medical school in their honor.
Other large commitments in fiscal year 2026 included a $25 million gift from the Robert and Janice McNair Foundation and a $22 million anonymous gift to the medical school that will be used to fund research, scholarships and clinical instruction, USC officials said.
Broken down by area, the university secured $129 million for academic support, $81 million to support athletics scholarships and program enhancements and $147 million for Williams-Brice Reimagined, its stadium renovation project.
Of the money raised, more than $80 million will be directed to student aid and scholarships, expanding affordability and access for students, the university said.
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