Merit and Equal Opportunity in Higher Education Act of 2026
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Progress
Where this bill stands in the legislative process.
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Overview
The Merit and Equal Opportunity in Higher Education Act of 2026 aims to ensure that admissions, hiring, promotion, and retention decisions at South Carolina’s public colleges and universities are based solely on merit, transparency, and auditability. The bill requires institutions to publicly disclose evaluation criteria and demographic data, implement bias-prevention training for evaluators, and establish an appeals process for challenging decisions. It seeks to prevent hidden discrimination while upholding equal opportunity and protecting the public trust.
Key provisions
- Institutions must publish evaluation criteria and scoring categories before admissions and hiring.
- Institutions must publish demographic data comparing applicant/hiring pools to admitted students/faculty hires.
- Evaluators must complete bias-prevention training.
- Adverse evaluation decisions must include documented reason codes tied to published criteria.
- Applicants and job candidates can request scorecards and challenge procedural errors.
- The Commission on Higher Education will audit institutions and review decisions.
- Institutions must certify compliance with equal protection standards and consistent merit criteria.
- The Commission can promulgate regulations to implement the act.
Who is affected
- Public higher education institutions in South Carolina
- Students applying to and enrolled in these institutions
Bill text
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Sponsors
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2 on record
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