I keep telling people, If SCSTATE thinks that they are going to reach 10,000 students they are delusional.
PQUE hit the nail right on the head. He has done so much from ( accreditation, clearing budget problems). I have said on this forum many times. It has nothing to do with other states. USC System campuses are very nice and is in every part of the State. Then you have to compete with schools like Coastal, College of Charleston and Clemson etc and the private colleges are top notch (Wofford, Furman Converse).
But the two biggest detriment is that most of the community colleges in the UPSTATE now offer 4 year degrees in Social Sciences, Art, and Education, the other thing is the University Center in Greenville. Almost every College or University has Bachelor's Master's and, Doctoral offering.https://greenville.org/
in the Spartanburg/Greenville corridor.