Enrollment growing slowly at South Carolina State University

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Enrollment is rising slowly at South Carolina State University as the Orangeburg school recovers from financial problems.

School President James Clark told state lawmakers Tuesday the spring enrollment is 2,634. That’s up from 2,610 students last year at the state’s only public historically black school. Enrollment usually drops in the spring as some students graduate in December.

Clark says more people believe in the university. He appeared before a House committee asking for nearly $27 million for the coming year.

The school’s financial troubles started when previous leaders failed to cut its budget to match its falling enrollment. South Carolina State once had more than 4,000 students.

Lawmakers fired the school’s trustees in 2015. Last year, lawmakers forgave $12 million the state had loaned the school to pay overdue bills.